My Little Sister オレの妹
by Indyctator
Summary: Mini-series about Squalo's little sister who had to grow up surrounded by the loud swordsman and the Varia. Disclaimer: I own nothing / The sequel is up :)
1. Chapter 1  The Cradle and the Sword

**The Cradle and the Sword**

Squalo woke up, listening carefully. Someone was walking in the corridor. He took the sword he always kept with him, ignoring his parents' lectures about how it wasn't proper for an eight year old to carry a sword at all times, and quietly came out of his room. He saw someone enter the room next to his, recognized his mother and decided to take a look. He wondered why his mother would bother waking up but he then remembered that Tanaka was ill. Flat against the wall like a ninja, he leaned a little to look in the room. His mother was bent over the cradle where the sobbing was coming from, speaking in a tired and angry voice.

"Shut up now! Enough! If you don't stop, your father will wake up! Shut up, Gioia! I said, SHUT UP!"

The sudden change of tone seemed to silence the baby. Knowing his mother would come out of the room any moment, Squalo stealthily returned to his room, taking care not to make any noise with his sword. He heard his mother going back to her room and waited a few minutes before coming out again. He entered the baby's room on tiptoe and closed the door. He then walked up to the cradle and bent over to observe the baby with curiosity.

His little sister was not sobbing anymore but big tears kept rolling in silence on her cheeks. She looked up at his older brother, her big grey eyes reflecting the surprise and curiosity he was feeling himself. The two children stared at each other for some time, without moving. Finally, the little girl held out her arms toward her brother, moaning. Squalo panicked. If she made too much noise, their mother would come back and she would not be happy to see that both her children were awake. The little girl kept holding out her arms to reach for her brother. She was already a few months old but Squalo had never carried his younger sister. And he would certainly not try it in the middle of the night when she was about to cry. She let out a sob, her arms still trying to reach her brother. In a panic, Squalo put in the cradle next to his sister the first thing he found, that is the sword he was holding the whole time.

Squalo panicked even more when he realised what he had done. Giving a sword to a baby… Could he have been more stupid? What was he thinking? The blade was protected by the case but it still was a sword! He had to take it back now! Before she could get hurt with it! He had to…

Squalo looked at the baby with astonishment. After observing the unknown object with curiosity, the little girl had put a tiny hand on the sword's handle and had closed her eyes. The tears had stopped rolling on her cheeks and she was now breathing regularly. Squalo was amazed at how fast her sister had fallen asleep. Was it possible to fall asleep that fast? And was all she needed to stop crying a sword? Squalo looked at his sister for a few minutes. He didn't really understand why his parents didn't like her but he thought his sister was cute, cute being only a synonym for little sister in his dictionary, and he decided that he would take care of his sister from now on.

* * *

><p>Tanaka, the butler who was taking care of Gioia Gandor, was feeling better after a good night sleep. Like every morning, he went to the little girl's room to wake her up and feed her but he stopped when he opened the door. On the floor, near the cradle was a messy pile of blankets. He went closer and let out a soft cry of surprise as he recognized Squalo buried in the blankets. A faint smile tinged with relief appeared on his wrinkle-lined face.<p>

Until he discovered with horror the little Gioia was sleeping while holding a sword…

**Note:**

_So that's it for the first chapter! I'd like to explain a few things about this fic. It actually is like a side story of another fic I started writing a while ago. Gioia was my main character and she arrived in Japan just before the Varia arc in KHR. Then, as I was writing, some ideas kept coming about her childhood with Squalo and the rest of the Varia. So I decided to write about her past OTL_

_I don't know if I'll publish the main fic one day but I thought this one would be a mini series with short chapters and well yeah... maybe easier to read and less boring? ^^"_

_Reviews are more than welcome ;~;_

_And big thanks to PsychedelicFlame for being an awesome beta_


	2. Chapter 2 Say Niichan!

**Say « Nii-chan » !**

"It's about time she started speaking or at least walking, no?"

Tanaka looked at the young Squalo with an indulgent smile. As always, Squalo had burst into his little sister's room to hide from his home tutor and he was looking impatiently at his sister who was happily babbling.

"It's true your young sister is now 1 year old but those things take time" said Tanaka. "It depends on each person."

Tanaka smiled even more when he saw Squalo scowling.

"But maybe you could teach her her first word?" he added. "If you repeat it enough, she may imitate you!"

"Really?" said Squalo with a brighter face. "Is it really possible?" He turned to Gioia. "Voiiii! Gioia! Say 'Squalo'! Squa-lo!"

The little girl stopped babbling and looked at his brother with curiosity.

"Voiii! Don't look at me like that! Say 'SQUALO'!"

Tanaka quietly laughed before putting a gentle hand on Squalo's shoulder.

"Maybe 'Squalo' is too difficult to say for Gioia"

"Hm… 'Fratello' isn't better… How do you say 'brother' in Japanese?"

"Oh… Maybe you should try 'Nii-chan'? It's an affectionate word kids use to call their big brother."

"Okay, Gioia! Say 'Nii-chan'!"

Gioia kept looking at her brother with curiosity.

"STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT AND SAY 'NII-CHAN'!"

To Squalo's great displeasure, she burst into laughter.

"VOIIII ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME? SAY 'NII-CHAN' OR I'LL CUT YOU WITH MY SWORD!"

Tanaka was smiling at the two children when they heard shouts in the corridor. Tanaka and Squalo ran to the door and opened it to see what was happening. Servants were running all over the place and one servant came out of Squalo's parents' room, screaming.

"QUICK! CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

* * *

><p>Squalo ran to Gioia's room to take shelter, as he usually did. He took off his black jacket and tie under the inquiring gaze of Gioia who was playing with a plastic sword. Sitting down in a corner, he burrowed his face in his hands.<p>

He would have preferred not going to his mother's funeral. He thought funerals were part of those moments when people are the most hypocritical. They were all there, with their forced sad faces although they barely knew her. And they were looking at Squalo with pity, saying empty words to comfort him. Squalo hadn't cried and had kept an impassive face. He had heard some people whispering about his behaviour. But Squalo wasn't sad enough to cry. Losing his mother sure was terrible but she had been sick for months and he had never been close to her. She had only given birth to him then let other people take care of him. Their parents actually didn't spend time with them but at least, their father seemed to care a little about Squalo. He had tried to talk to Squalo after his wife's death, briefly explaining what had happened with a sympathetic expression on his face. He had then decided that Gioia should stay at home during the funeral, as if he was truly worried the funeral would stress the little girl. But Squalo, although he didn't understand why, was sure his father, just like his mother when she was alive, hated Gioia. The hypocritical action made the boy's blood boil and made him hate the funeral even more. So why would he be sad and cry? He refused to be insincere like these people… But if he didn't care, why was he feeling so empty?

Squalo raised his head when he heard a thump.

Gioia was lying on the floor but she quickly stood up on her shaking legs. With determination, she took a step toward her brother before falling down again. With amazement and proud, Squalo looked at his sister who was standing up again. This time, she managed to stay steady and took one, two, three, four steps before collapsing in Squalo's arms.

She looked at him with a resolute expression. Squalo watched her with curiosity as she kept opening and closing her mouth without making a single sound. Finally, she moaned impatiently before looking straight into his eyes.

"V-Vo-Voiiii!"

Squalo's eyes widened.

"V-Voiiii!" repeated Gioia, with plaintive eyes.

Squalo chuckled.

"Good choice for a first word, Gioia" he whispered, before hugging his sister tightly. He didn't need parents. His sister was enough.

**Note:**

_Okay so hm, I thought my mini-series would be all cute and funny but I ended up writing this OTL Haha, anyway. _

_A few remarks I forgot to do in the first chapter: Gioia means Joy in Italian. But the main reason I chose this name was because I thought the spelling was pretty haha. _

_And then Gandor comes from Baccano! ... I was looking for a name and then KHR = Mafia = Baccano! = favorite character Luck Gandor :D_

_ About the butler Tanaka, clear reference to Kuroshitsuji \o/ I wanted a Japanese butler because it's relevant for the main fic I'm writing about Gioia. So hm yeah, a lot of references to other mangas, I'm sorry, it's something I always do when I'm writing fics..._

_**cocoamilo**: Thank you for your review ! I'm happy to see I'm not the only who thinks Squalo with a sister is cute \o/ I hope you liked that chapter ;A;_

_Thanks to **PsychedelicFlam**e who has a hard time as a beta because I keep forgetting that readers don't read my mind and I should clearly write things ='D_

_Lastly, thanks for all the Story Alerts! ^^_

_Reviews are always welcome =]_


	3. Chapter 3 Men don't cry

**Men don't cry**

Squalo looked down with satisfaction at the boy lying on the ground. With a last mocking smile, he grabbed his bag and walked away. Dino Cavallone, who had witnessed the whole fight, quickly came up to him, looking worried.

"Don't you think it's a bit rash to fight against middle schoolers?"

"Shut up, Dino. _Real _men fight."

Dino pouted but made no comment.

"But you're hurt this time. Your lip is bleeding…"

"It's nothing. Men should be able to bear pain."

"If you say so…" Dino sighed. "You should be careful, Squalo…" Turning away, he waved. "Well, see you tomorrow, then!"

Squalo groaned then sighed as Dino stumbled and almost fell. Was it really possible to be that clumsy? Dino would never be a good boss if he went on like this… Squalo winced as he wiped the blood off his lip and walked faster, ignoring the throbbing pain in his back.

* * *

><p>Squalo took care of going unnoticed when he came back home because he didn't need any more scolding from old Tanaka or his father. He had just arrived before his door when the next room's door opened. Gioia welcomed him with a large smile. Squalo smiled back at her, impressed. He still didn't know how his sister managed to know when he was home. Even though he was stealthy as a ninja, she was always there to welcome him. Squalo nodded at her to come and they both entered his room.<p>

Exhausted, Squalo threw himself on his bed, Gioia scurrying behind him. He closed his eyes, still trying to ignore the pain in his back. He felt Gioia climbing on his bed and sitting next to him. A few moments later, he felt his sister's hand grabbing his t-shirt and lifting it, revealing his back. Surprised, Squalo sat on the bed.

"Voiii, what the hell are you doing, Gioia?"

"Nii-chan… hurt?"

Squalo was taken aback by the worried look of his sister and wondered once more how she could understand him so easily. He then smiled and patted her head.

"Don't worry, it's okay. Besides, men are strong. Real men don't cry, right?"

She looked at him for a few seconds before smiling again.

* * *

><p>Squalo came back home earlier that day. He had to admit he was <em>a bit<em> tired so he would not fight for a few days, maybe. His back was still hurting a b-

"WHO THE FUCK SAID YOU COULD COME HERE? GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Squalo heard a thump then Tanaka's voice.

"Please calm down, sir! It won't happen again!"

Squalo then saw Gioia running toward him. She threw herself at her brother and locked her arms around his leg, burying her face in his pant leg. Squalo looked down at his sister, not knowing how to react.

"What's going on, Gioia? Did something happen? You okay?"

Gioia didn't answer and tightened her grip around Squalo's leg. He understood he wouldn't get an answer immediately so Squalo walked to his room, dragging Gioia who wouldn't let go of his leg. He finally arrived in his room and it was only when he closed the door that Gioia slowly released her grip. Squalo crouched before her and looked at her face. Gioia was looking down at her feet, avoiding his brother's eyes and her long hair hiding most of her face.

"Look at me, Gioia."

The little girl shook her head.

"Come on, look at me. You should always look into people's eyes, Gioia. Looking down is showing weakness."

Clenching her teeth, she slowly raised her head to look into her brother's eyes. Squalo discovered with horror a red mark on his sister's cheek. So that bastard had done it. He was surely drunk. He always got violent when he was drunk. And since their mother's death, he was often drunk. Squalo considered running to his father to release his anger on him but he had no chance against that bastard and Gioia needed him right now.

Pulling himself together, he stared at his sister's face and suddenly noticed she wasn't even crying. He was sure that even when she ran to him in the hall, she wasn't crying. That two year old kid that had just been hit by her father wasn't even crying. Since when was she that strong?

"Gioia… Why aren't you crying? It doesn't hurt?"

Gioia looked at her brother with a stern face and eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Not cry. Like Nii-chan. Gioia strong. Like Nii-chan."

Squalo patted his sister's head, speechless. She was so strong. And he was so proud of her. He looked at her with a comforting smile, silently making the promise he would never let that happen again. She beamed at him, tears completely gone from her eyes.

"Okay then. Want me to read you a story?"

Gioia clapped her hands with excitement.

"But _please_, Gioia, not a damned fairy tale again…"

**Note:**

_First of all, thanks as always to my reviewers and the new alerts and favorites! And thanks to PsychedelicFlame, my beta :D_

_Then, I'm sorry for the late update haha. My dear inspiration just came back last night between 1am and 4am :D (I had fun typing in the dark, ninja mode ON, hoping my mom wouldn't wake up xD) And I think I should change the genre of this story to "Cute Tragedy" or something like that XD_

_So yeah... I don't have anything special to say about that chapter. I just hope you enjoyed it ^^_

_Reviews are always welcome =)_


	4. Chapter 4 Princes & Pectorals

**Princes & Pectorals**

"We should send her to school" pleaded Squalo. "She'll get bored if she always stays at home."

"_She_" scowled Pastiello Superbi "doesn't need to go to school."

"But-"

"I won't pay anything for that stupid girl."

"She's your _daughter_!" growled Squalo.

"Get out." Squalo's father glared at him.

"I'm just asking for sch-"

"_Squalo Superbi_, get the fuck out of this room!"

Squalo, knowing he wouldn't convince his father, left the room, angrily slamming the door behind him.

He had enough of his father and his stupid hatred towards Gioia. Old Tanaka had tried to explain to Squalo that his father was sick. Depression because of his mother's death, he had said. But Squalo knew that his father hated Gioia ever since she was born. And he had figured out why a while ago.

Right, she was a _girl_, so what?

Was it _that_ bad? Was it even _her_ fault she was born a girl in the sexist environment that was the mafia world? To be honest, Squalo also thought girls were weaker than boys. All the girls he saw at school were weak or just plain stupid. But he would never let Gioia become like one of those girls. Gioia was already a strong girl anyway. She surpassed all those weaklings. And even if his father estimated the little girl wasn't worth anything, Squalo knew she was smart and should not be underestimated. If that bastard didn't want to give her a proper education, then Squalo would.

Squalo burst in Gioia's room, alarming the little girl who was playing with her plastic sword.

"Voiiii! Come on, Gioia! We're going out!"

* * *

><p>Dino smiled widely when he recognized Squalo in the crowd. He ran to him but stumbled and crashed loudly on the ground. He winced and looked up to discover a little girl apparently worried and a Squalo looking quite pissed.<p>

"Are you okay?" asked the little girl.

"I-I'm fine…" stammered Dino, getting back on his feet.

"Don't worry, Gioia" scowled Squalo "that guy spends most of his time on the ground…"

"Shut up, Squalo!" pouted Dino. He then looked at the unknown little girl, curious.

"Hi!" She smiled at Dino. "I'm Nii-chan's sister, Gioia!"

"Squalo…" Dino slowly muttered. "Since when do you have a little sister?"

"…" Squalo looked embarrassed. "Since she was born, you idiot!"

"What are you two doing here?" asked Dino, knowing he'd better not ask why Squalo had never talked about his sister.

"Some shopping." Squalo showed a bag full of books.

"And we're going to see a movie now!" said Gioia, a wide smile on her face. "We're going to see the new Disney movie!"

"She likes prince and princess stuff…" Squalo looked away, turning red, while Dino tried really hard not to laugh.

"I'll come with you!" announced Dino. "This could be fun!"

Squalo looked extremely annoyed but seeing Gioia looked even more excited, he said nothing.

* * *

><p>Dino hid himself behind Gioia to avoid Squalo's wrath.<p>

"I'm sorry, Squalo! I swear that ice cream just flew from my hand to land on your t-shirt!"

Dino mentally started to say goodbye to everyone he loved as he saw Squalo approaching him. But the angry boy stopped, confronted to his little sister's judging look. Squalo sighed heavily and calmed down.

"Okay… Can you lend me a t-shirt then?"

Dino happily hugged Gioia, thanking God that the little girl was here to appease the violent shark and went to his room to grab a t-shirt for Squalo. When he came back in the kitchen, Squalo and Gioia were apparently fighting.

"You really don't want to become a princess, Gioia! They're just stupid and lame!" shouted Squalo.

"Mulan is not lame or stupid! She saved her country!"

"Mulan is NOT a fucking princess! That's why!"

"I don't care! I'll just marry a handsome prince like Dino and become a princess!"

"What the…? That dumb Dino is NOT a prince! Princes are just mental people, wearing tiaras and believing they're above all! A prince is even worse than a princess!"

"Uhm…" interrupted Dino, with a faint smile on his lips. "Here, Squalo, take this."

Squalo growled a vague "Thank you" and took off his stained t-shirt. Gioia gasped, clapping her hands on her mouth, and Dino and Squalo looked at her, surprised.

"What?" asked Squalo.

"Nii-chan… Why are your boobs bigger than mine?"

Silence followed Gioia's words. And then Dino collapsed on the floor, laughing hysterically as Squalo literally exploded.

"THEY'RE NOT FUCKING BOOBS, YOU STUPID LITTLE BRAT! THEY'RE CALLED PECTORALS!"

**Note:**

_I apologize for that random and lame chapter OTL Don't even ask me why I wrote about princes and boobs ='D I really hesitated to post that chapter... _

_So~! Hm, finally explained why the father hates Gioia! And about the father. Little story about his name. I didn't have a name for him until yesterday. I asked my little brother "I need an Italian name for a character, any idea?" And he answered "Pasta" XD I thought naming the father "Pasta" would be too much trolling so I changed it a bit hahahaha _

_And if you're wondering, in this chapter, Squalo and Dino are around 11 and Gioia is around 3 ^^ I seriously don't know if a 3 year old kid would say this but hey! Chrome Dokuro walks with several organs missing so Gioia can talk about boobs!_

_**THANKS FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS**. You can't even imagine how happy I am ;A; And thanks for the alerts and favorites too! I'm seriously really happy /sobbing._

_Special thanks to **PsychedelicFlame** (perfect beta is perfect), **Il mio nome e Chrome Dokuro **and **cocoamilo**! You guys really motivate me to keep writing ;~;_

_Now I'll just shut up and read a bit before I go to sleep!_

_Reviews are always welcome, of course ^o^_

_asdfghjkl forgot to add that the books Squalo bought are books for children to learn how to read and write! ^-^_


	5. Chapter 5 Babysitter

**Baby-sitter**

Dino found Squalo and Gioia, whose arms were locked around her brother's leg, waiting in the hall.

"Hi!" Dino greeted his friend in a hesitant tone. "Hm… What's going on?"

"Hi…" mumbled Squalo. He looked down at Gioia before taking a deep breath and speaking in a determined voice. "I need you to take care of Gioia for the day. I have to do something and I can't let her alone at home because…" Squalo's face hardened but he didn't finish his sentence. "She's not a picky eater and she brought some stuff to do. She won't disturb you, I swear."

"W-what?" stammered Dino. "B-but…"

"Please…" Squalo looked away immediately, feeling embarrassed.

Dino was speechless. It must have been the first time he had heard Squalo say "please". In the end, he couldn't refuse and he watched in silence Squalo grabbing Gioia's arms so she would let go of his leg. He then patted her head and whispered something Dino couldn't hear. Gioia nodded and came up to Dino. She smiled at the boy before grabbing his sleeve.

"Thank you, Dino." Squalo gave a slight bow before leaving.

* * *

><p>Dino looked over Gioia's shoulders. She was colouring what seemed to be a shark holding a sword. Dino couldn't help smiling. Being an only child, he really envied the siblings' relationship. He had spent some time with Squalo and Gioia and he had been really surprised to see how close the two actually were. Dino really didn't understand why Squalo had never talked about his sister before….<p>

Gioia suddenly stopped colouring and turned to face Dino.

"Can you make hot chocolate?"

"Hot chocolate? Of course! You're thirsty?"

"Oh, no!" she smiled at him. "It's for Nii-chan when he'll come back!"

"I see. Let's go to the kitchen then so that we can make it ourselves!"

She put away her drawing and her pencils, grabbed her bag and followed Dino, without a word. They were welcomed in the kitchen by Cassio, the young cook, who helped them making the hot chocolate. When everything was ready, they sat at the table to wait for Squalo's return.

"Why did you make the chocolate now?" asked Dino.

"Nii-chan will be back soon" assured Gioia.

"How do you know?"

"I just know… It's Nii-chan so I know when he'll come back."

"Do you know where he went today?"

"Fighting. He always goes fighting."

"Again?" Dino sighed. "Don't you think it's dangerous?"

"It is. But Nii-chan's dream is to be the best swordsman and we should do everything for our dream, right?" Gioia smiled at him.

"… I guess."

"And Nii-chan is strong. I'm sure he will win!"

"Yeah, I'm sure he will… And what about you, Gioia? What's your dream?"

"Me?" Gioia thought about it for a few seconds before answering with a big smile. "A cook, maybe?"

"A cook?" Dino was surprised by her answer. "Why?"

"Food makes people strong and happy. Like Nii-chan. Before he goes fighting, he eats something that will give him energy. And when he comes back, he will eat and drink to appease his body. So maybe my dream is to be a cook! And…"

Gioia suddenly stopped talking, apparently listening to something. A moment later, the door was opened and Squalo came in, looking dirty and slightly tired. Gioia beamed at him and as he sat heavily on a chair, she poured some hot chocolate in a mug and gave it to him. He slightly pinched her cheek with a tired smile and took the mug, avidly drinking the hot beverage. He then put down the mug and sighed.

"I hope she didn't cause any trouble" asked Squalo.

Dino, who was wondering what Gioia was looking for in her bag, smiled at Squalo.

"Not at all! We had lunch and then, we practiced writing a little. And she did a drawing too. I think she drew you. She's just adorable. I wonder if she's really your sister, actually."

"Shut up" scowled Squalo.

"Ha!" Gioia let out a slight cry of satisfaction and the two boys turned to see what she had found. The little girl came up to her brother and held out several things to him: what appear to be clean clothes, a chocolate bar and some cream. She gave Squalo the clothes and the chocolate bar but kept the cream.

"Your back and your right arm are hurting, right? I'll put some cream on them."

Squalo turned red from embarrassment while Dino was amazed to see how Gioia could _read_ Squalo's movements and know where the boy was hurt. Dino had just seen that Squalo was tired, that's all. Capitulating to Gioia's serious face, Squalo took off his shirt and let her sister apply cream on it. Dino kept his mouth shut because Squalo was obviously on the verge of dying from embarrassment.

* * *

><p>Squalo and Gioia were ready to leave and Dino couldn't help feeling a bit sad. He had really enjoyed spending a day with Gioia and then Squalo when he had come back. He had realized how lonely he actually felt when he was home.<p>

"Come back whenever you want!" Dino patted Gioia's head with affection. "You both are welcome here."

"Yeah, sure…" Squalo mumbled as he took Gioia's hand. He then looked at Dino with a serious face. "Is it really okay?"

"Of course!" Dino beamed at him.

Squalo said nothing, expressing his gratefulness through a simple smile. He grabbed Gioia's bag, grumbled a vague "See you then" and left with his sister scurrying along.

**Note:**

_Hahaha already a new chapter ='D_

_I hope the way I write about Squalo and Dino is okay! PsychedelicFlame (my betaaaaa ^o^) said I could have made Dino clumsier and I agree! But I thought Dino had enough in the previous chapter so I would leave him alone here XD As you may have guessed, Gioia has a habit of grabbing Squalo's leg when she's feeling scared or uneasy. That's something my brother used to do when he was a kid x) Oh and Tsuna did it too, if I remember well! Aaaaand that's all I wanted to say about that chapter!_

_**Thank you so much for the reviews**! I really hope I won't disappoint you with the following chapters ;~;_

_**cocoamilo** The Varia should arrive in a few chapters! =] About Squalo's fights, I don't know if I'll write about them. I really don't feel confident about writing fight scenes... But maybe I'll try~ I'll see! And about the KHR plot, there won't be Tsuna and the others here. They are in the main fic I'm writing about Gioia =] "My Little Sister" is only about her childhood with Squalo and the Varia!_

_See you next chapter then! Reviews are always welcome =]_


	6. Chapter 6 Deal

**Deal**

Gioia thanked the man with the weird hairstyle and went back to her brother. She gave him the glass of water and he took it absent-mindedly. Gioia followed Squalo's gaze, wondering what was so interesting he wouldn't even look at her.

A young man was standing by himself a few meters away from them and Gioia shivered a little when she saw him. Pure anger seemed to radiate from him. The unwavering flames that were his eyes seemed to be lethal for anyone who would look into those crimson eyes. Until now, Gioia thought his brother was the strongest person she knew. But in one look, she knew that stranger was above and that even Squalo would respect him.

Gioia looked back at her brother who seemed to be completely mesmerized by the stranger.

"Here, keep this for me. I'll be back right away."

Gioia took the untouched glass of water and, feeling a faint twinge of sadness, watched Squalo walk toward the stranger.

* * *

><p>Xanxus was really bored. He was waiting for important information that Mammon was looking for and he couldn't do anything before the Arcobaleno came back. He had tried to find something to do like cleaning his guns, drinking tequila and scaring the servants simply by looking at them but there he was again, sitting on his chair, waiting for something to happen.<p>

The door banged open and Squalo Superbi entered his room. Xanxus sighed. Okay, he was bored, but he didn't want to hear the loud shark either… Squalo started to shout something about swords, honour and duels. Xanxus had met the swordsman only a few weeks ago but he was sure he would make an efficient commander when Xanxus would have the Varia. But he just wished Squalo wasn't that loud… It was starting to get on his nerves… And the shark didn't even seem to notice that Xanxus wasn't listening.

Because Xanxus had spotted something that grabbed his attention. Something was hiding behind the loud young man. Actually, he would have said that it was a _child_. But that was just stupid. Why would a kid be in his room, hiding behind the future commander of the Varia? Maybe Xanxus had too much tequila…

"VOIIIIIIIIIIIII! Are you even _listening_?"

"Trash… what's that thing behind you?"

Squalo, for once, was speechless as he looked at Xanxus, surprised. He then turned and Xanxus saw Squalo's back tensed up before he exploded.

"VOIIIIIIIIIIIIII! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE? I TOLD YOU TO BE A GOOD KID AND STAY IN THE ROOM!"

"But I _am_ a good kid…"

Xanxus frowned when he heard the voice of a little girl. What was a kid doing here? Normally, Xanxus would have beaten up Squalo but he was really bored so he decided to be tolerant and to try to understand.

"Scum… what the fuck is going on?"

Squalo slowly turned, looking embarrassed. As Squalo was looking for words to explain himself, Xanxus saw the kid leaned and their eyes met. She was short and skinny with black hair and grey eyes that were looking at him, filled with utter respect. She faintly smiled up at him but Squalo pushed her behind him. Xanxus looked up at Squalo, curious to hear the explanation.

"I'm sorry. I was so focused on telling you about that damned duel that I didn't even notice she had followed me. But it won't happen again, I swear. You won't see her again. I'll make sure you won't."

"I want to know who is this kid, scum" Xanxus scowled.

"I-It's…" stammered Squalo, unsure. "She's my sister…"

Xanxus didn't know what to say. He had met Squalo not long ago and he only knew the young man was aiming at becoming the strongest swordsman and that Xanxus could count on his loyalty. He did know that Squalo was from a rich but minor mafia family but he didn't know about the details. He just hadn't _cared_. But now that he had discovered Squalo had a younger sister, he was just surprised. He couldn't even imagine the violent and cold-blooded assassin with something as weak as a little sister.

Seeing Xanxus wasn't saying anything, Squalo bowed before his boss, grabbed his sister's arm and dragged her out of the room, quietly scolding her.

"I told you not to follow me! Why don't you listen?"

"Nii-chan, that was your boss, right?"

"Y-yeah… and he's not happy to see you! So you'll stay in the room, okay?"

"He really looks strong! You think he'll teach me how to fight?"

"V-voiii! Do you really think he has nothing better to do?"

Xanxus slightly smiled when he heard the siblings. Maybe it was because he was really bored but that kid seemed interesting.

* * *

><p>"VOOOIIIIIIIIII! EAT YOUR DAMN STEAK OR I'LL GET MAD!"<p>

Xanxus looked at the fighting siblings, amused. Squalo had tried to convince his sister to eat the steak for ten minutes now but she was as stubborn as him and refused to touch the meat. Honestly, Xanxus didn't understand why she didn't want to eat. He had already finished his two steaks and was now glaring at the remaining vegetables.

"VOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! I ALREADY CUT IT INTO PIECES FOR YOU SO _EAT_!"

"I don't want to eat!"

Xanxus held back a smile as Squalo tried hard not to take his sword and unleash his anger on the girl. He opened his mouth to say something when the phone in the room next door rang. Still glaring at his sister, he left to take the call, angry steps echoing behind him. As soon as he left the dining room, the little girl got up quickly, took her plate and ran to Xanxus. Under his curious eyes, she held out her plate with a determined face.

"If you eat my steak, I'll eat your vegetables!"

Xanxus looked down at her, stunned.

"So? You'll eat my steak?" she asked once again.

"It's a deal, scum" he nodded, repressing an urge to laugh.

"My name's Gioia! Not 'scum'…" she protested.

"I don't care, scum" he replied, switching the plates. "I call you whatever I want."

"But you call Nii-chan 'scum'! So I can't be 'scum' too!"

"Alright, I'll call you mini-scum then" he smirked.

Gioia pouted but said nothing. She went back to her seat and they both ate in silence. Just as Xanxus finished his steak, Squalo came back to the dining room and looked at his sister's plate, surprised.

"Voiiii. Where's your steak?"

"Boss ate it!"

Squalo turned to Xanxus, ready to explode, but one look from the crimson eyes convinced him not to do so. Squalo shouted out of frustration while Xanxus smiled. It was definitely less boring to see the swordsman on the verge of a mental breakdown and the little girl with a mischievous smile on her face.

**Note:**

_So here it is, the first Varia member \o/ I decided to begin with Xanxus because... well, it's Xanxus, he's the boss. I hope the way I wrote about him is okay... OTL _

_I also realized my chapters are becoming longer so I was wondering if that was okay? Or should I make them shorter? I don't know, just tell me if you have a preference! ^^ _

**_Thank you sooo much for the reviews & the story alerts!_**

_**khrVariaLover**: Aaaaah I should have made him clumsier, right? Next time Dino appears, I sure will! XD_

_**Tsukiba**: Mwahahahaaha sérieux? XD En fait, une fois, j'parlais avec mon ptit frère et je voyais une image d'une idole coréenne et j'lui avais dit "putain, le mec, il a plus de poitrine que moi!" XD J'adore les histoires entre frère et soeur (j'suis une grande fan de Ace & Luffy, Ed & Al, Rin & Yukio...) donc ma fic se base entièrement sur leur relation ;~; Et j'suis contente de voir que tu trouves ça mignon et triste à la fois! J'arrive à faire passer ce que j'pense \o/_

_**Reaper_of_the_Varia**: Yeah, the descrition definitely fits Bel~ ^^ I thought I would write this maybe to re-use it later when Bel is confronted to the siblings =]_

_LAST BUT NOT LEAST!_

_**Il mio nome e Chrome Dokuro** did a drawing for me ;A; Check it out here: http:/ twitpic . com / 9i9jss Thank you so much T.T And if you guys don't read her fic yet, READ NOW. And check out my beta **PsychedelicFlame**'s fics too! She wrote a really good fic about Squalo! :D_

_And I tried to draw smth too XD http:/ /twitpic . com / 9gx5bo But I lack drawing skills to really show you how I imagine Gioia OTL Sorry..._

_Anyway, see you next chapter!_


	7. Chapter 7 She's always right

**She's always right**

Gioia sat cross-legged to make herself comfortable and looked down at Squalo.

"You're really not staying home tonight?" she asked for the tenth time.

"I _already_ told you I'd just take you home, stay with you a bit and then go back."

"But why can't I go with you?" she protested.

"No way you're sleeping in that house of insane bastards!"

"But…!"

"VOIIII! STOP MOVING!" snapped Squalo. "I can't do push-ups if you keep fidgeting!"

Pouting, Gioia crossed her arms and sat straight. Usually, she would sit on her brother's back and they would chat happily while he was doing push-ups. But she knew Squalo was still mad at her because of the steak incident at lunch. After he had calmed down, he had told Xanxus he would take her home and come back later. Squalo apparently didn't like being made fun of in front of his boss…

"By the way…" scowled Squalo. "_Never_ do that again."

"Hm? Do what?" Gioia feigned innocence.

"Next time, I'll cut you in two, I swear!" he growled. "And eat your damn steak!"

"Tanaka already forces me to eat meat… I don't want you to do it too." In a whisper, she added "You're not my father."

"Tanaka isn't your father eith-"

Squalo stopped, realizing what she had said, and looked up at his sister. She was staring at the wall, looking indifferent. Squalo _loathed_ those moments. True to her name, Gioia was most of the time cheerful and kind, though she had become a bit mischievous those last months. But sometimes, she would let slip what she was really feeling and Squalo never knew how to react. And every time it happened, she would-

"By the way, Nii-chan! Please teach me how to fight! You promised me you would!" She pointed an accusing finger at him.

She would immediately change the subject…

"I will when you don't act like a weak brat anymore…" He smirked at her. "Now, move. It's getting late, I have to go."

Gioia reluctantly got off her brother's back and watched him as he grabbed his stuff. She walked down the hall with him, not saying a word. Finally at the door, Squalo turned, looked down at his little sister and noticed she was nervously playing with the string of her hoodie.

"Voiii, what's going on?" he asked, annoyed.

"Nii-chan" she looked up at him, her eyes filled with expectations. "You'll come next week, right?"

Suddenly understanding why she was so nervous, he dropped his stuff, crouched in front of her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't worry, Gio" he said in his softest voice. "Everything will be alright."

She nodded, not saying anything. Squalo suddenly felt very awkward and let go of her, slightly blushing.

"See you then, brat" he growled before patting her head and leaving.

* * *

><p>Dino felt Gioia's grasp on his hand tighten.<p>

They were in front of the primary school and it was the girl's first day. Squalo had called Dino in the middle of night, sounding desperate and _begging _him to accompany Gioia for her first day. When Gioia had opened the door to Dino, a melancholy expression had covered her face for a few seconds before she put herself together and grabbed Dino's hand with a smile. She had walked with determination, telling Dino how she loved the new pens she had bought with Squalo and Tanaka. But now that she was in front of the school, she wouldn't let go of the older boy's hand.

Dino crouched in front of her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Gioia. It'll be okay! And you'll love school, I'm sure! You love learning new stuff, right?"

"Yes…" she said, looking slightly better.

"And if someone bothers you, don't worry! I'll take care of them!"

"But Dino" she laughed "you always fall and Nii-chan says you can't defend yourself."

"I'll call Squalo then…" mumbled Dino, feeling like bursting into tears himself. "Now, go. Or you'll be late!"

Gioia seemed to have regained her confidence and she let go of Dino's hand.

"And don't worry" Dino added. "He'll be there to pick you up."

She smiled at him one last time before walking into the school.

* * *

><p>"I won't be long."<p>

Squalo got out of the car and ran to the school's entrance where he had spotted Dino. When he finally arrived, he looked down at his sister, afraid of her reaction. But instead of anger, sadness or reproach, he saw an utterly happy face, lit up by a wide smile.

"I'm sorry I'm late" he growled, letting out a sigh of relief before holding out his hand.

Gioia didn't answer and pulled Dino's sleeve. He leaned towards her, curious, and she quickly kissed him on the cheek before whispering something to him. She then grabbed her bag and took the hand of a shocked and pissed Squalo. The shark felt so outraged that he walked back to the car without even thanking Dino. He angrily opened the door and let Gioia get in before him.

"Don't fucking sit on my lap, mini-scum!" grunted an angry voice.

"Oh, sorry, Boss!" the little girl said before turning to her brother. "So you were with Boss?"

There was no trace of reproach in Gioia's voice or on her face but Squalo felt terrible nonetheless.

"I-I'm sorry, Gioia" he mumbled. "We were busy."

"You have a problem with that, mini-scum?" scowled Xanxus, glaring at the girl.

"Xanxus!" snapped Squalo. "Don't talk lik-"

"Shut up, trash" growled Xanxus. "I asked her."

"No, of course not" Gioia assured in a calm voice, turning to face the future Varia boss. "You're Nii-chan's boss. You're more important."

Squalo's eyes widened whereas Xanxus looked at her appreciatively.

"You're definitely interesting, mini-scum" he smirked before glancing at his future second-in-command.

Squalo couldn't help but stare at his sister, feeling a slight pain in his chest. He had wanted to deny her words but he just _couldn't._ Because deep down, he knew she was right. She was _always_ right about him…

**Note:**

_I thought I would write another "Gioia meets the Varia" chapter but I ended up writing this x) What can I say about this chapter... I hope I managed to express how I see Gioia's relation with the other characters. And particularly Xanxus because he definitely plays an important role in Gioia's development. And well... Dino, as I said to PsychedelicFlame, just keeps popping up when I'm writing XD And this chapter is really longer than the others. I hope you survived XD_

_**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS**. I'm not even joking when I say I felt like crying. My mood is not the best lately but reading your reviews really cheer me up so THANK YOU._

_**cocoamilo** Thanks so much for your review ;~; omg I would love to see it if you draw something! To be completely honest, I don't have a clear image of Gioia OTL Weird, I know... I'm the author and I still see her kind of blurry haha I can only tell you she has grey eyes, long black hair and she is "average"? I mean, she's not super pretty. She's just normal x) Actually, in a way, I also want to let the readers imagine their own Gioia. For me, her physical appearance really doesn't matter. I just wanted her to have the same eyes as Squalo, that's all :) And I don't know if it's school or something else that keeps you busy but good luck! *hugs*_

_**Tsukiba** Je peux pas te dire si y'aura du XS plus tard parce qu'à chaque fois, je prévois d'écrire qqch et je finis par écrire qqch qu'a rien à voir XDDD Et puis, oui, elle devient machiavélique 8D Si elle était tout le temps sage, ce serait vraiment pas drôle. Le pauvre Squalo s'ennuyerait :D Merci pour tes reviews en tout cas, ça me fait extrêmement plaisir!_

_Gosh, if FFnet could just let me put some gifs here, I'd put all my hug gifs for you! ;A;_

_Thank you once again and see you next chapter!_


	8. Chapter 8 Dinosaurus

**Dinosaurus**

Levi had been staring at the window for one hour now. Almost mechanically, he would look at the front gate first before craning his neck to observe the road and then, finally glance at his watch. Levi couldn't help but panic due to the fact that his boss still hadn't arrived. Had Xanxus been alone, Levi would have thought it was normal and would have expected it, but Xanxus was with Squalo and the swordsman was never late. Something was going on; he was sure about that.

Levi jumped when he saw the car. Feeling extremely relieved and utterly excited to see his boss after five long hours without him, he left his observatory window and ran to welcome Xanxus back. When he finally came out of the luxurious mansion they used as temporary headquarters, Xanxus was getting out of the car. Levi's face lit up in a wide smile which quickly faded away when he saw a schoolbag flying from the car and colliding with Xanxus' legs. To Levi's astonishment, Xanxus picked up the bag as a little girl came out of the car. The girl apparently apologized, bowing to Xanxus, but he angrily threw the bag at her, knocking her down. A furious Squalo finally came out of the car, shouting at the top of his lungs while he helped the girl to get back on her feet. Levi could hear none of it. His focus was now solely on the brat who dared be disrespectful to his boss; he could barely refrain himself from executing the girl right away.

Pulling himself together, Levi thought that if Xanxus hadn't killed the brat yet, then he would certainly not be pleased to see his most loyal man touch the girl. He watched in silence the trio coming up to him and frowned when he heard them bickering.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Gioia?" snapped Squalo, still angry.

"I said I was sorry!" sighed the girl.

"Shut up, you two…" scowled Xanxus, annoyed.

"Welcome back, Boss!" greeted Levi.

Xanxus grunted as he entered the house, immediately followed by Levi who didn't even look at Squalo and the girl who were still fighting.

* * *

><p>A loud bang echoed in the mansion. Squalo put down the sword he was cleaning with a sigh as Gioia looked at him, surprised.<p>

"What was that? A gunshot?"

"That was Xanxus making us understand he's hungry" explained Squalo. "Come on, let's have dinner."

Squalo took something from his bag and put it in his pocket before leaving the room with his sister. They both went down to the dining hall where they found Xanxus, sitting alone at the large table. As usual, Squalo sat at Xanxus's right while Gioia climbed on the chair next to her brother. The door opened and Levi entered the room, followed by servants who placed the dishes on the table.

"The dinner is ready, Boss!" declared Levi, sitting at Xanxus's left. "Of course, I asked the cook to prepare something you like!"

Squalo let out an annoyed "Tch" causing Levi to glare at him.

"You got a problem, swordsman?" he growled.

"Shut up, you ass-kissing moron" snapped Squalo, before helping himself to steaks and potatoes.

"What the fuck, dumbass?" shouted Levi. "And who's that stupid brat anyway?" He added, glancing at Gioia who was looking reluctantly at her steak.

"I'm not a stupid brat!" she frowned at the man. "My name is-"

"Shut up!" interrupted Levi. "I don't even care!"

Squalo watched his sister putting her fork down, staring at the man who was insulting her. She glanced at Xanxus who was ignoring all of them and her eyes suddenly sparkled. Squalo sighed. That was not a good sign…

"Boss" she said, with an angelic smile. "Can I sit next to you, please?"

Xanxus looked up at her, curious, whereas Levi was just astonished.

"So that I can give you my steak!" Gioia added, her smile widening.

The boss and the little girl stared at each other for a few seconds before he smirked.

"Trash" Xanxus growled. "Give her your seat."

With a deep sigh, Squalo watched his sister happily leave her seat while Levi slowly got up, looking like he had just lost his soul. He then proceeded to take the farthest seat from Gioia and stared at his knife, apparently ready to commit suicide. Ignoring Levi, Squalo returned his attention to his sister and smiled.

"Hey, brat!" he smirked at her. "See what I've got here?"

With a satisfied expression, he took out of his pocket the Dinosaurus biscuits he had bought earlier. Gioia's eyes widened, sparkling with desire. He had actually bought Gioia's favorite biscuits to congratulate the girl for her first day at school but Squalo just couldn't resist getting _revenge_.

"I'll give them to you if you eat your steak" he declared, with a sadistic smile.

"That's not fair!" she protested.

"Just eat your steak and it's yours!" repeated Squalo, shaking the biscuits box at her face.

Squalo was already enjoying his victory when the biscuits vanished from his hand. Dumbstruck, he saw his sister was now holding the biscuits, relief painted on her face. Squalo turned to the culprit.

"WHAT THE FUCK, XANXUS?" he roared.

"I already told you" Xanxus smirked. "Mini-scum is interesting. I like her."

"YOU JUST LIKE PISSING ME OFF!" shouted Squalo, while Levi was banging his head on the table, mumbling something like "She stole Boss…"

**Note:**

_Already an update! Yaaaay! Is it obvious that I love Xanxus teaming up with Gioia to annoy other characters? :D (and that my chapter titles are random? xD) That chapter was just for fun and for introducing Levi so I don't have anything special to say ^^" The only thing I'd like to say is that the Dinosaurus biscuits really exist and I love them ;A; I did some research to see if they were exported to Italy but I'm not sure... And I put those random biscuits because I love dinosaurs and that I re-watched Jurassic Park and Ice Age 3 yesterday XD_

_**Thank you so much for the reviews, the alerts and the favorites once again ;A;** Whoa. That feeling I have when I wake up, check my inbox and see those lovely reviews T.T Thank you!_

_**kimichee** LMAO XDDD Xanxus and Gioia? I'm trying hard not to make Xanxus too nice but I end up writing this and it feels like they'd be cute together OTL But Gioia's my baby ;A; I don't want her to be verbally and/or physically abused by Xanxus! XD Because, come on~ Xanxus would not be the perfect prince she wants XD And he's way too old for her fufufufu_

_Once again, thank you so much for your support! I know I keep repeating myself but my lovely beta, you reviewers & you readers all cheer me up!_

_See you next chapter then! ^o^_


	9. Chapter 9 Mom

**Mom**

Lussuria sighed. He usually loved parties but this kind of serious gathering where people only talked about business was just boring. However, he was looking for a job so a big gathering like this organized by none other than the Vongola family was a golden opportunity not to be missed. But he had been here for a couple of hours already and no one had sparked his interest so far...

Until he noticed a tiny figure, wandering near the buffet. There were a few things Lussuria just _couldn't_ resist and they included corpses, shopping and _kids_. With a wide smile, he approached what seemed to be a young child dressed in black with a hood covering half of his face.

"Do you want something to eat, kid?" Lussuria happily asked.

"Mu" let out the child, turning to the man. "I don't need your help. I'm just wondering how much that buffet cost."

"Kids, nowadays…" whispered Lussuria as he watched the strange child inching closer to the buffet.

He then noticed from the corner of his eye another small figure wandering around in the crowd. Hoping it wouldn't be another rude and greedy child, Lussuria went after the little girl who looked lost. But upon closer observation, he noticed that although she was alone, she was walking quite calmly, carefully avoiding the adults who weren't paying attention.

"Are you lost?" Lussuria asked, with a gentle smile.

The little girl turned and he felt his heart melt when he saw two grey eyes looking at him curiously before she politely smiled.

"No, I'm okay" she replied. "I just need to bring this to Nii-chan. But thank you, sir."

She smiled once again before disappearing in the crowd. Lussuria sighed heavily, his hands clapped on his face. Such an adorable, polite and cute child. He just wished he had a little girl like her. They could go shopping, eat ice creams, bake cookies and drink hot chocolate! Whoever had such a cute little sister was a lucky guy indeed!

Suddenly feeling sad and lonely, Lussuria went back to the buffet. As he was sipping his drink, he noticed two young men talking not far from him: one with spiky silver hair and intense grey eyes while the other had dark hair with angry crimson eyes. Both of them were unbelievably _handsome_, dazzling the man to the point where he almost choked on his drink. One glance at them was enough for him to know he _had to_ work with such beautiful men. Ignoring the threatening aura surrounding the two strangers, Lussuria approached them with a bright smile.

* * *

><p>Lussuria cheerfully left his room, heading for the dining hall. He had come back from his mission not long ago but eager to see the others again, he had decided to join them for breakfast. He was definitely happy he had gone to that Vongola gathering a few months ago. He was now working with wonderful men who made every day worth living. He just had so much fun with all of them.<p>

Lussuria entered the dining hall, a wide smile on his face. Xanxus was sitting at the end of the table, eating a steak. How the Boss could eat a steak for breakfast remained a mystery for Lussuria. On his left, Levi was pouring some wine in Xanxus's glass, more than happy to serve his boss. Mammon would usually sit next to Levi but Lussuria supposed the Arcobaleno hadn't come down yet. Finally, on Xanxus's right, Squalo was reading a newspaper while drinking milk. The swordsman put down his newspaper and took the toast someone held out to him. Lussuria froze as he recognized her.

"HYAAAAAA-!"

Xanxus looked up, surprised and pissed because Levi had spilled some wine on the table while Squalo had spat a piece of toast. The three of them watched Lussuria running up to the table, taking the little girl in his arms and hugging her, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Is this real?" shouted a hysteric Lussuria. "Are you really here? Oh my God, I never thought I'd see you again! Hyaaaa! Please call me Lussu-nee, okay?"

"VOIIIIIIII! LET GO OF MY SISTER, YOU WEIRD PEACOCK!"

But Lussuria had already left the dining hall, still holding the little girl in his arms. He ignored the swordsman's threats echoing in the mansion and looked at the girl affectionately.

"My, my, what are you wearing here, sweetie? No doubt that rude brother of yours chose your clothes! Just wait till I'm done with you! We'll go ask Mammon if he can give us some money to go shopping, okay? Lussu-nee will take care of you!"

"But I don't want a big sister."

Lussuria stopped as he felt his heart breaking. The girl looked up at him with a warm smile.

"I'm sorry. I already have Nii-chan so I don't need a sister. Can you be my mom instead?"

The cry of happiness Lussuria let out at those words filled the whole mansion, making its windows and inhabitants shiver.

**Note:**

_Wow I can't believe it's already chapter 9 ! oO" Anyway, just a few things I'd like to say:_

_- Concerning the first part, I thought it'd be fun if all of the Varia members (well, except Bel) met at the same party mentioned in the manga ^^ Amano didn't give any details about how and when they met so we're free to imagine whatever we want, right? Oh and if you re-read chapter 6, you'll see that I had already mentioned Lussu in the first sentence x)_

_- Squalo is drinking milk, yes. At first, I wanted to say coffee but then I thought Squalo was already super loud and hyper so him with coffee will probably be the apocalypse :D And tea is too... "refined" for him, I don't know XD And milk makes your bones stronger! That fits him! (am I talking about random and useless details?)_

_- Just to clarify things: at this point, they're not the Varia yet. Squalo hasn't won against Tyr so Xanxus is not the Varia boss and Bel is not here. Because I think Bel joined the Varia when Xanxus was already the boss. (but I may be wrong... I actually think that Amano kind of messed up the chronological logic concerning the Varia...) So for those who asked, Bel will arrive later, in 2 or 3 chapters ^^_

_- I will not pair Gioia with Xanxus x) So **anonymous**, you don't have to worry (although I'd like to know why you're so against it! xD) and **kimichee**, I'm sorry, I won't change my mind XD_

_**Thank you so much for the alerts, the favorites and you people who took time to leave a review! I love every one of you *big hug* **_

_**Nobody: **"May the dying will be with you" omg asdfghjkl XDDD You made me laugh so much XD You made the Star Wars & KHR fan I am so happy! I hope you liked how I wrote about Lussu! And thanks for your review!_

_**deadly-chronicles**: Thank you so much for reviewing each chapter ;~; and I'm so happy to see you don't hate Gioia T.T And I get what you mean about Xanxus... Although I think I made him too nice... u_u" It's so difficult to write about him OTL_

_Last thing, **Il mio nome e Chrome Dokuro** made another fanart for me ;~; Check it out, I LOVE IT: kotei-heika-chrome-d. deviantart. com /#/d50f8dd I also tried to do one but yeah... my drawing skills still haven't improved xD If you're curious: indyctator. tumblr. com /post/23099017991_

_Now, all of you, have a nice day and see you next chapter!_


	10. Chapter 10 Mission

**Mission**

Mammon let out a tired sigh as he collapsed on his bed. Xanxus now had the information he wanted so Mammon knew he could finally rest. Relieved, he buried his face in his pillow, ready to spend the next twelve hours in his bed. But he had forgotten to take something into account.

The door banged open and Lussuria entered the room, carrying a girl in his arms. Mammon cursed. Of course, Xanxus would leave him alone but the others were another problem…

"Mammoooon!" squealed Lussuria. "I want to go shopping; can you give me some money, please?"

Mammon sighed and got out of bed. Lussuria had those sparkling eyes that meant he would never leave the Arcobaleno alone if he didn't get what he wanted.

"Mu, you got your salary last week, Lussuria…" Irritation tainted his voice. "Don't tell me you already spent all of it…?"

Lussuria started wriggling and mumbling something about sales, golden opportunities and bags. Mammon was too tired to reason with him so he decided to give him one of his credit cards, hoping Lussuria would leave him alone after that. He was handing out the card when the door banged open once again, revealing a furious Squalo.

"VOIIIII! WHAT THE FUCK, LUSSURIA! LET GO OF HER NOW OR I'LL KILL YOU!" he roared.

"Squ-chaaan!" pleaded Lussuria. "Stop shouting like this! And just come shopping with us, okay?"

Mammon shook his head, desperate, before he noticed Squalo was now staring at him with plaintive eyes.

* * *

><p>"So… why am I here?" Mammon asked, looking at the huge mall swarming with people.<p>

"I-I just _can't_ go shopping with Lussuria _alone_" mumbled Squalo who seemed almost scared.

"Mu, I guess you owe me something now. That's not a bad thing."

Squalo glared at the Arcobaleno before returning his attention Lussuria who was entering a shop with his sister scurrying along.

"Why does he need to buy new clothes anyway?" he snarled.

"Weren't you complaining about the fact your sister didn't have a feminine presence around her?" Mammon pointed out, remembering the information he had gathered about Squalo's sister. "Lussuria could have a good effect on her."

"Yeah… you're probably ri- WAIT WHAT? Lussuria is NOT a fucking woman! And how the hell do you know about that?"

"Mu, you care too much about details."

Squalo was about to say something when Lussuria came up to them, dragging Gioia behind him.

"Squ-chan!" he pouted. "Just come with us. My baby won't try anything if you don't approve it…"

"Of course she won't!" Squalo looked down at his sister, proud.

"But I'm her mom! _I_ should be the one choosing her clothes; that's not fair!" protested Lussuria.

"Her… _mom_…?" stuttered Squalo, shocked.

"Yes! She said I could be her mom!" Lussuria happily shouted.

"Sorry…" whispered Gioia, with an apologetic smile.

"No way you're her mom! I'm her family! I won't let you have her!" growled Squalo.

"Squ-chan! I promise I'll be a good mom! And I'm definitely better than you to deal with such a cute girl!"

Mammon was surprised to see Lussuria's words had apparently hurt the swordsman.

"Really?" he said, with a twisted smile. "Let's see then! Come back here in thirty minutes! We'll both buy something for her and we'll see which one she prefers!"

Without adding anything, Squalo disappeared into the crowd; Lussuria smiled at the child before leaving too. The Arcobaleno sighed and sat down on a bench, taking out a notebook. He definitely needed to remember the girl was a good mean of pressure on the swordsman. That could be useful in the future.

"What are you writing?"

"Useful information" he simply said before looking at the girl who was sitting next to him. "Your brother really cares about you, right? He would do anything for you, don't you think?"

She stared at him without saying anything. Her grey eyes seemed to pierce him as if they were looking right at his mind. Confronted by her insistent look, Mammon felt quite happy that his eyes were hidden behind his hood, the thin layer of fabric somehow protecting him. Something in her eyes just made him uncomfortable.

Finally, a spark of understanding illuminated her eyes before she laughed.

"Mu, why are you laughing? Did I say something funny?"

"Yes, Nii-chan cares about me but I'm sorry, I'm not his weakness" she said with a knowing smile.

Mammon silently cursed. This kid had just outsmarted him. He had been wrong to think she was a simple-minded girl. She looked so innocent at first sight. But he should have known that the sister of someone like Squalo would not be some stupid brat.

Mammon was still brooding over his failure when Squalo and Lussuria came back. Gioia welcomed them with a wide smile, holding out her arms to receive the presents. With a confident smile, Lussuria gave a large bag to the girl. They all waited as she opened it, revealing a cute pink dress and a box containing pretty shoes. Lussuria giggled, seeing the girl gaping at the dress, her eyes sparkling.

"Mu, I think you lost your sister" Mammon snorted.

Squalo said nothing and gave a small box to his sister. She carefully opened it and froze. She then looked at her brother, her face lit up by an expression of pure happiness. Squalo smiled at Gioia, taking the box from her hands. He then put the silver chain around her neck and Mammon saw a small dinosaur-shaped pendant.

So she was a kid that could be bought in some way after all, Mammon mentally noted.

"Thank you, Nii-chan! It's so cool!" Gioia gave a quick hug to her brother.

"You're welcome, brat" he said, patting her head. "You're _my_ sister after all, so I'm the one who knows you the best."

Squalo turned and smirked at Lussuria before taking Gioia's hand and heading out of the mall. Mammon sighed and followed Squalo, dragging a sobbing Lussuria behind him.

* * *

><p>Mammon sat heavily on his chair, laying his head on his accounts notebooks. He would make sure that Squalo and Lussuria would pay him for having wasted his day. Feeling slightly better at that idea, Mammon opened the drawer where he kept all his precious calculators and took his favorite one to evaluate how much they would have to pay.<p>

"Whoa, you have a lot of calculators!"

Mammon jumped on his seat and turned to discover Gioia standing next to him and poring over his collection of calculators.

"Mu, since when did you get here, kid?" Mammon hadn't even _felt_ her presence.

"Hm? I followed you when we came back" She tilted her head, surprised. "Why do you need all those calculators? You don't know how to count? I can teach you if you want! I know the numbers up to twenty! And Nii-chan taught me addition and subtraction!"

"Stop… talking, kid" Mammon hissed.

"Don't be upset. I can teach you. For example, you're facing six enemies, okay? Then, you kill four of them! How many enemies are left? TWO! And that's how you do subtraction! It's easy, right?" She smiled at him, happy to share her knowledge.

"I know my numbers, kid… That's one of my jobs!" Mammon frowned at her. "But I'm curious. How did you manage to follow me?"

"What do you mean? I just walked behind you…"

"Mu, stop stating the obvious… I mean that I didn't realize you followed me until you spoke!"

"Oh, that…" She stared at the calculators, pensively. "When I was a baby, Nii-chan forbade me to follow him when he was training. Because he said he could hurt me while practicing with a real sword. But I was really curious so every day, I would follow him. At the beginning, he always caught me. But with time, I learned how to be really quiet. I think he still thinks I had stopped following him. And that's how I hide from Father too…"

"Wait, you mean… even _Squalo_ can't detect your presence?" The girl's words had sparked Mammon's interest.

"I think so… Why?"

Mammon was thinking very fast. As the person in charge of intelligence gathering, he knew that the kid's talent was nothing short of priceless. She was very young but smart enough and with training, she could become very useful.

"Mu, that would be very useful indeed… You like dinosaurs, right?"

Gioia nodded, curious.

"Would you like some dinosaur toys or things like that?"

"Yes!" Gioia clapped her hands with excitement. "You'll buy me some?"

"Only if you agree to carry out a few missions for me."

With a wide smile, Gioia saluted the Arcobaleno.

**Note:**

_Whoa, that chapter was a tough one. I thought Xanxus would be the most difficult character to write about but Mammon was a real challenge OH MY GOD. And the chapter ended being REALLY long. I hope you don't mind._

_**Thank you for the reviews, the alerts and the favorites ;~;** I didn't think I would seriously work on a fic one day and you guys just make me so happy ;A; Thank you so much!_

_**khrVariaLover**: Hahaha your question seriously caught me off guard XD Is it really surprising? I mean, Xanxus isn't really the perfect guy who would follow rules so I can easily imagine him drinking alcohol at 15. But it's just my opinion ^^"_

_**anonymous**: No problem! I tend to think like you, actually ^^ _

_Have a nice day and see you next chapter!_


	11. Chapter 11 You're not a fucking kid

**You're not a fucking kid**

"Voiii, have you seen Gioia? I haven't seen her since we came back from the mall…"

"Do you think I care about that brat?" Xanxus glared at Squalo. "Get out, scum."

"I was just asking!" Squalo growled before leaving Xanxus's room, slamming the door behind him.

Satisfied he had made the worried shark go away, Xanxus left his chair and headed for the bathroom. After a quick shower, he was back in his room and was now staring at his desk, a frown on his face. He had been gone for only ten minutes and yet, his tequila bottle was now _gone_. Boiling with anger, Xanxus suddenly felt a presence. He swiftly went round his desk and caught the little girl hidden underneath, holding the bottle against her. He roughly made her sit on the desk and glared at her. Gioia stared back at him, silent.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, brat?" Xanxus growled.

The girl opened her mouth but no words came out, her eyes still locked on him. Annoyed, Xanxus snatched the bottle from her hands and threw it, broken glass shattering on the floor. Gioia merely blinked, making Xanxus even more furious. He grabbed her chin and drew his face closer to hers, drops of water dripping from his wet hair and rolling down Gioia's cheeks. He could finally see fear in her eyes, somehow feeling satisfaction at that sight, but he couldn't help being amazed by how calm she still was.

"Speak now" he threatened her, his voice barely a whisper.

"I… Mammon…" she stuttered.

"Quickly!" snapped Xanxus, still clutching her chin.

"Mammon gave me missions" she explained. "I had to follow some people and I did. Mammon said it was okay but he still wasn't impressed and he said I didn't deserve a dinosaur figurine yet. So I thought if I could show Mammon I could follow Boss, he would give it to me…"

"Follow people? You had to sneak up on others as well?" Xanxus asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Gioia tried to nod but Xanxus's hand was still holding her chin firmly.

"And you succeeded?"

"Y-yes…"

Xanxus stared at her, pondering over whether or not he should punish her. After a few minutes of reflection, he let go of her face and sat down on his chair.

"Okay, tell me exactly what you had to do."

"I-I just had to follow three people" she mumbled, slightly confused. "Mammon decided to give me missions only this morning and he said I should begin with people easy to deceive…"

"Just follow them?"

"Mammon told me to bring him back information. Anything that those people wouldn't want the others to know… Like a secret."

"Who were those three people and what did you find out?"

"I followed two guards, Alonzo and Cosma. The first one hid and slept for fifteen minutes. The other one stole some food from the kitchen. And I had to follow Levi."

"Levi?" repeated Xanxus, surprised.

"Yes. I followed him in his room and I saw… one of his most precious things…"

"What was it?" asked Xanxus, immediately regretting it.

"He has a… a big album with lots of pictures of Boss…" Gioia said, with a faint smile.

One of Xanxus's eyes twitched and he sat there contemplating that fact for a moment, unable to say anything.

"He just kept staring at the pictures" continued Gioia. "You know, he has some really nice pictures of you, Boss."

"_Shut up_" hissed Xanxus, trying his best not to strangle the girl. "So that's what you've been up to the whole afternoon… And for what? A fucking dinosaur figurine?"

Gioia nodded with an apologetic smile. Xanxus glared at her for a few seconds before he got up and slapped her. The little girl looked up at him, confused, with her hand holding her red cheek. He waited for a moment and then nodded in satisfaction when she didn't cry.

"That's for trying to steal my bottle for a stupid figurine" Xanxus leaned towards her, only a few centimeters between their faces. "And don't let Mammon manipulate you. You're not a fucking kid. You're smarter than that, mini scum."

He took her arm, pulled her back to the ground and dragged her out of the room.

"Now let's find your trashy brother before he ends up sobbing in a corner…"

* * *

><p>"Voiiii! Hurry up! And don't forget anything!"<p>

Gioia shot him an angry look but Squalo ignored her and leaned against the wall while she was gathering her school stuff.

"Your cheek is still a bit red… how did you manage to bump into a door like this? Are you retarded?"

"I'm done" she said, ignoring him. "Do I really have to go?" she asked once again.

"I told you old Tanaka isn't here…" he growled.

"I can stay here, by myself; I'm okay!"

"No, you're not. I won't let you stay alone here while I'm gone."

Squalo took the bags and pushed her out of the room. They remained silent the whole way until they arrived in front of a beautiful mansion. Dino was already waiting for them at the gates with his eternal warming smile. He cheerfully greeted the siblings but Squalo merely grunted and Gioia was staring at her feet.

"That's the first time she won't sleep in her own bed so I brought that." Squalo gave Dino the bags he was holding. "There's her pillow and her plastic sword. She never sleeps without them…"

"Don't worry; I'm sure everything will be okay!" He gave Squalo a reassuring smile.

"I'm not worried, dumbass…" Squalo turned to Gioia who kept staring at her feet. "I'm leaving now. I'll be back in a few days, okay?"

The little girl didn't answer and Dino looked at Squalo, curious. He shook his head with a sigh.

"Thanks once again" he said to Dino before turning away.

Squalo had made only one step when his sister caught his leg and held it tightly.

"Don't go, Nii-chan! Please, don't go!" she pleaded, her voice betraying the tears she was barely holding back.

"What the fuck, Gioia? Why are you so upset? It's not the first time I'm leaving!" Squalo tried to release his leg but she was holding on it with all her strength.

"It's not the same! Don't go, Nii-chan! Not this time!"

"VOIIIII! YOU'RE NOT A FUCKING KID ANYMORE SO STOP CRYING AND LET ME GO!"

Gioia froze for a split second before releasing her brother's leg. With slow steps and her head down, she walked to Dino and grabbed his sleeve. The older boy wasn't sure how to react but one look from Squalo told him it was best not to make any comment.

"Voiii, stop looking so upset, Gioia" Squalo growled. "You said you wanted to learn how to fight, right?"

Gioia raised her head, surprised.

"You better train while I'm away then! You're so weak right now that I can't teach you anything! Run thirty minutes every day, do some exercises like push-ups and then, we'll see if I can teach something…"

Dino looked dumbfounded but Gioia now had a faint smile on her face. Satisfied, Squalo grinned his shark smile and then turned away. Now he was sure his sister was okay, he could focus solely on his duel against the Sword Emperor.

**Note:**

_I have only one thing to say: it's time for Gioia to grow up :D_

_**OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, FAVORITES AND ALERTS!** You guys, omg ;A; *hugs all of you and gives Dinosaur biscuits*_

_**jaganshi31**: I'm happy to know you like Lussu! :D Hahaha Mammon must have like 50 calculators, different brands, different colors, simple and complicated ones :D You feel proud of her? ;~; omg that makes me so happy, you have no idea! She's like my baby so it truly makes me happy! omg no NOT BARNEY. He is so creepy and scary! I don't want her to be traumatized by a violet dinosaur XDDD Thanks for reviewing as always! I'll have to get used to your "new" name XD_

_**Nicole Luna**: Thank you very much! Knowing people like her makes me feel really happy! I hope you'll like how things will develop :)_

_**Narico Cooper**: *o* Thank you! I hope you'll continue to find her awesome!_

_**long live marshmallows**: Thank you so much for the reviews! Hyaaaa I'm glad I made you laugh ;A; And Bel is two year older than her! ^^ _

_Once again, thank you so much! Have a nice day and see you next chapter! _


	12. Chapter 12 Nightmare

**Nightmare**

Dino got back on his feet, trying to ignore the parents' judging eyes. He shot an angry look at the pavement he had tripped on and went closer to the school's gates. With a sigh, he leaned against a tree, the leaves providing a shelter from the blazing sun. Children started to come out of their classes and Dino quickly spotted Gioia surrounded by a few girls. His smile faded away when he noticed Gioia seemed tense. As the group came closer, Dino listened to their conversation.

"You're weird!" said one of the girls. "Your parents never come to pick you up! They don't even care about you!"

"You say you have a brother but he doesn't come!" added another girl. "The only one who comes is that clumsy guy!"

Dino felt his heart sink as the girls burst out laughing. He was used to people making fun of him but seeing Gioia getting bullied because of that was different. For a split second, Dino thought about staying hidden in the tree's shadow and let Gioia go home by herself. He didn't want to give another reason for the girls to laugh. But the memory of Gioia's first day popped up in his mind. _"And if someone bothers you, don't worry! I'll take care of them!"_ His own words sounded ridiculous right now. How could he even defend her when he was such a useless idiot, hiding behind a tree?

"She has no family! She has no family!" The girls started to sing with mocking smiles.

"Ready to go home, Gioia?"

Dino had stepped out of the shadows and was now offering the little girl a heartwarming and confident smile. Gioia looked up, surprised, before smiling back at him. Without a glance at the bullies who had stopped laughing and looked embarrassed, she ran up to the older boy and took his hand. Dino softly squeezed her hand and they both headed home, Gioia cheerfully talking about the new things she had learned that day.

As usual, when they arrived at the Cavallone's mansion, Gioia quickly left her school stuff in the room she was using and changed into a tracksuit before dragging Dino for a jog. She was earnestly following Squalo's last words, insisting Dino should train with her so he would become strong like her brother. Dino just couldn't resist the little girl and was jogging by her side. True to his nature however, he tripped and fell over himself, scratching his arms. He winced at the sight of the blood as Gioia crouched beside him.

"Let's go inside" Gioia held out a hand for the boy. "Romario will take care of you."

Back inside the mansion, Romario the bodyguard was now taking care of Dino's arms while Gioia was trying to do push-ups in a corner of the room. For the second time in the day, Dino felt terribly useless. She was trying so hard to be strong and there he was, unable to run for thirty minutes without falling. When Romario was finally done, Dino lay on the couch, burying his face in a cushion.

"You heard those stupid girls talking and you think you're useless, right?"

Dino raised his head, his eyes meeting Gioia's serious look.

"You know, I don't think you're useless. You can be strong too. When you smiled at the school's gates, it really cheered me up. You made those girls shut up with your smile. So thanks for protecting me."

She smiled at him and Dino felt his heart melting as tears threatened to roll down his cheeks. He had always thought Gioia was amazing at reading Squalo's mood and thoughts but now he realized she could read him as well. Maybe that's all he needed to be strong, having people to protect…

* * *

><p>Squalo smirked. The only way to win this duel was to fully understand the old man's style. Clenching his teeth and feeling adrenaline rush through his body, Squalo swiftly cut off his left hand.<p>

* * *

><p>Dino suddenly woke up. Hearing the door opening, he quickly hid under his blanket. A clap of thunder made him jump and he prayed that he had only dreamt someone entered his room in the middle of the night.<p>

"Dino?"

Getting out of his blanket fortress, Dino looked at the door, surprised to see a disheveled Gioia.

"What's wrong, Gioia?"

"… I had a nightmare about Nii-chan" she mumbled, staring at her feet.

Another clap of thunder rang out and Dino noticed Gioia's glancing at the window, slightly scared. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Dino made some space on his bed and faintly smiled at the girl.

"You can stay here if you want."

Looking relieved, Gioia ran to him and snuggled in the bed. Dino lay down beside her, staying as far away as he could.

"I didn't know you were afraid of thunder" he muttered.

"I'm _not_" she snapped, her voice tainted by irritation.

"Yeah… right…"

"It's because of that nightmare… Something bad happened to Nii-chan…"

"Don't worry" he gently patted her head. "Squalo must be okay."

"Hm…"

"By the way, do we really have to sleep with that plastic sword..?"

* * *

><p>The door of the hospital room slammed open and Squalo looked up, pissed.<p>

"Learn how to knock, brat" he growled.

Gioia was staring at him with a blank expression, Dino standing just behind her. They both looked down at Squalo's hand or rather the blood stained bandages around his left wrist. With a shrug, he held out his left arm so they could see he could move without suffering.

"It's okay. Just an unexpected hitch. I already have an idea to arrange things and make this useful!" He confidently smiled at them.

"So" Gioia stuttered "you won, right?"

Squalo observed his sister's face, trying to guess the girl's feelings. Although she seemed a bit tired, he was pleased to note neither worry nor sadness.

"Voiiii! Of course I won against that old Tyr!" he shouted, proud. "Xanxus is now the Varia boss!"

"What?" shouted Dino, shocked, while Gioia remained composed. "You won against Tyr, the Sword Emperor?"

"Yeah."

"And… why aren't you the Varia boss then?" Dino asked, confused.

"That's none of your fucking business, Dino" Squalo growled.

"But" whispered Gioia "he cut off your hand…"

"Huh? No!" grunted Squalo with his shark smile. "That was me! I had to understand how it felt like to fight without a hand!"

"WHAT?" cried Dino. "What's wrong with you, Squalo? Cutting off your own hand!"

"Told you I had to do it to understand the old man's style. And I already had a talk with doctors to do something about it."

"But your _own_ hand!"

"Shut up, trash. I told you it's… Where did Gioia go?"

Both of them looked at the open door, surprised.

* * *

><p>Dino came out of the room and closed the door, ignoring Squalo's yelling about how insensible his sister was. Dino made two steps before he tripped on something and almost fell. With shock, he realized he had tripped on Gioia who was sitting against the wall, her face hidden in her hands.<p>

"Told you something bad had happened…" she muttered.

Dino crouched beside her, unable to find something to say.

"I _knew_ he shouldn't have gone this time…" Gioia's voice was breaking as she got hiccups. "He _never_ listens… And now… his _hand_… And if I say something… he'll get mad… He's alive so it's okay… But… I was so _scared_… if I cry, he'll get mad…"

Pity overwhelmed Dino as he watched the little girl fighting against tears of anger, sadness and relief. With a sigh, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"Squalo really is an idiot sometimes… You can cry, Gioia. I won't get mad at you."

* * *

><p>Squalo slightly opened the door and took a look. Dino was hugging his little sister who was weeping and bawling in his arms. With a sigh, he closed the door and leaned against it, feeling a twinge of guilt.<p>

**Note:**

_I had planned to write a chapter solely focused on Squalo and Gioia without too many cute stuff... But in the end, like my perfect beta said, it's more like "STRAIGHT TO THE KOKORO" because of Dino and Gioia XD I just hope you enjoyed it ^^ _

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS, ALERTS AND FAVORITES!** I am a happy potato thanks to you ;A;_

_**jaganshi31**: YOU OMG YOUUUUU! Your reviews make me want to cry! To see you attached to Gioia is the best I could hope from a reader so THANK YOU. Yeah, the chapter fly really fast. How can I say... I try to write chapters which add smth to the characters every time so I guess that's why there isn't a lot of chapters and time flies =/ And you said I'm unpredictable asdfghjkl I'm so happy reading this XD I hope I'll continue to surprise you!_

_**long live marshmallows**: I won't write about the ring battle in this fic ^^ This one really is about her childhood. If I have enough courage and inspiration, I'll publish the story about the teenager Gioia (which is the fic I actually first started to write!) But I really don't know if I'll do it haha_

_Thanks again for reading! All of you, have a nice day or good night! See you next chapter! :D_


	13. Chapter 13 New recruit

**New recruit**

Squalo observed his little sister who was sleeping next to him.

A month had passed since his duel with Tyr and he had been pleased to see Gioia had recovered from the shock the day after her visit at the hospital. She hadn't talked about his hand after that visit and she had been truly amazed when Squalo had proudly shown her his new mechanical hand.

He now spent most of the time at the Varia headquarters but allowed the little girl to come every weekend to visit him. However, he was ashamed to confess he didn't really know what was going on in his sister's life anymore. Even when she was at the headquarters, most of the time he was busy with Varia business and hardly had a chance to speak to her. He knew she had been spending time with Mammon when she was at the castle but Squalo wasn't really worried. After all, she didn't have money that could interest the greedy Arcobaleno. He had also noticed that she had become even more mischievous than before but Squalo firmly believed that it was due to the fact she spent too much time with Dino. That clumsy idiot was a bad influence on her but Squalo was aware of how close Dino and his sister had become and how she would never forgive him if he touched one single hair of that idiot.

"Nii-chan! Wake up!"

Squalo opened his eyes, surprised.

"You must be really tired to fall asleep like this…" Gioia was staring at him, looking worried.

"I'm okay" he growled. "Voii. I was wondering… What have you been up to lately? What are you doing at home or at Dino's?"

"Why are you asking?" she tilted her head, curious.

"Voiii! Just answer the damn question, brat!"

"I'm learning how to cook with Cas!" Gioia's eyes were sparkling with happiness and pride.

"Who the fuck is Cas?"

"Dino's cook! He lets me help in the kitchen! Yesterday, I made my first cake! Dino said it was yummy!" The little girl was now cheerfully clapping her hands.

"Voiii…" muttered Squalo. "You gave your first cake to that clumsy idiot…?"

"That _clumsy idiot_" Gioia frowned "was here to eat it, that's all."

Squalo scowled, unhappy. He sometimes hated how smart his sister was.

"Well, at least, you're finally learning something useful. I thought you were only a mischievous brat."

A brief smirk passed on Gioia's face and Squalo squinted his eyes, feeling suspicious.

"VOIIII! What the fuck was that smirk?"

"What smirk?" she asked, in an innocent voice. "Oh look! We arrived! And there's Lussu-nee!"

Still feeling that something was fishy, Squalo said nothing and got out of the car after his sister. Annoyed, he shot a warning look at Lussuria who was almost choking Gioia in a tight hug. Suddenly, Lussuria's eyes fell on Squalo's hand and he started wriggling and squealing, making Squalo even more pissed.

"Voiii! What the fuck is wrong with you, Lussuria?"

"Oh my god, Squ-chaaaan! I didn't know you were into _that _kind of things! It looks so pretty! It really adds the feminine touch you lacked!"

Confused, Squalo looked down at his mechanical hand and sword and felt rage boiling in him.

"VOIIIIIII! YOU DAMN BRAT! HOW DARE YOU DRAW HEARTS ON MY SWORD! I SWEAR I'LL CUT YOU THIS TIME!"

Squalo tried to catch the girl but she dodged him easily and held out something to him.

"What the fuck is that?" Squalo looked at the plastic box with suspicion.

"It's for you, take it!" She forced the box into her brother's hands with a smile. "I hope you'll like it!"

Leaving a confused Squalo, she turned and entered the Varia headquarters with a still squealing Lussuria. Squalo finally decided to open the box, ready to be once again fooled by his sister. However, his eyes widened as he saw a neatly cut piece of chocolate cake. He carefully took the cake and bit into it.

"That brat is good…" he whispered before wolfing down the rest.

* * *

><p>Xanxus left his room and headed for the meeting room, closely followed by Levi. As they approached the room, Xanxus heard Levi groan and smirked as he saw the reason of his officer's displeasure. Gioia was there, happily chatting with Lussuria and Squalo.<p>

"Tss, you're still here, annoying brat" hissed Levi.

"Nice to see you too, ass-kissing idiot" snapped Gioia before turning to Xanxus with a bright smile. "Hello, Boss!"

"Hey, mini-scum" Xanxus couldn't help half-smiling at the girl.

"Voiii! Who the fuck taught you to speak like that?" roared Squalo as Levi gaped.

"_You_ did…" Gioia sighed.

Before Squalo could answer, the meeting room's door opened and a thin man wearing glasses appeared.

"Everything is ready, we can start the meeting" announced Ottavio.

Xanxus noticed how the man shot a look full of contempt to Gioia before going in the room again. He knew they hated each other. From the very first time she had seen him, she had told Squalo and Xanxus that they shouldn't trust him. They both had ignored her because Ottavio had proved himself to be loyal and efficient which was all they needed in the Varia.

"I think that trash hates you even more than Levi does" Squalo smirked at his sister.

"I don't like him either" she scowled. "I told you not to trust him!"

"And we don't give a fuck" replied Xanxus as he entered the room.

"Who cares about a kid's opinion?" added Squalo, following his boss.

"I'm a kid ONLY WHEN IT SUITS YOU!" shouted Gioia as Squalo closed the door. "Those _adults_… I hate them." And she left with angry steps.

* * *

><p>Bel stared at the Varia mansion, feeling a bit tired by the journey but excited. He had easily entered the Varia's grounds, killing some guards on his way. From what he had heard, the Varia were the elite assassins but he thought their guards were rather weak. Or maybe he was too strong. He was a Prince after all. With a grin, he arranged the crown on his head and headed for the mansion's gates with confidence. Two guards were standing at the gates and they looked with disbelief at the 8 year old boy wearing expensive clothes stained with dirt and blood.<p>

"What do you want, kid?" asked one of the guards, half-smiling.

"Ushishishi, bring your boss to me" ordered Bel.

"Are you serious, kid?" The guards laughed. "Why the hell would we do that?"

In a split second, sharp knives appeared in Bel's hands and in fluid and beautiful movements he had sliced the guards' throats before they could even react.

"Because I'm a prince" whispered Bel, with a bored expression as the knives disappeared into his sleeves. Peasants were really rude those days. With a sigh, he stepped over the bodies and observed the door, regretting there wasn't a welcoming committee to receive his royal person. As his hand reached for the handle, the door opened and Bel froze.

A girl who looked a few years younger than him stared at him, surprised. She looked down and her eyes widened at the sight of the bodies. Expecting her to call for help, knives were back in Bel's hands, just in case. However, the girl looked back at him and Bel stepped back a little as her eyes suddenly started sparkling.

"I-Is this a crown?" she said, her voice full with expectations. "A real crown?"

Bel nodded, unable to speak. That peasant was weird. Aren't peasants supposed to be afraid when they see corpses?

"Really?" she shouted, excited. "So… you're a _prince_? A real prince?"

"Of course I am!" answered Bel, a bit confused.

"A prince, oh my God!" she drew herself closer to him, observing his crown with amazement. "I didn't think I would meet a prince so soon! Whoa! Nii-chan will be surprised that I finally found a prince! It's such an honour to meet you!"

Following her words, she bowed before him with a wide smile. Bel's satisfied grin was back on his face. This peasant was interesting and definitely worth letting her alive. The prince didn't meet polite peasants everyday!

"Peasant, you bring me to the Varia boss!" Bel ordered, firmly believing the girl would do anything for him.

"Boss?" She frowned. "He's in a meeting right now and I don't think he'll be happy to be bothered… He's not in a good mood lately… You might end up being shot before you can say anything. He shot down a lot of people lately… I almost got shot myself last week."

Bel observed her for a few seconds as she was chuckling. He suddenly grabbed her arm and pointed a knife at her throat.

"Ushishishi. You seem to know the boss so you'll bring me to him or I'll cut your throat, okay?"

The girl looked straight into his eyes and Bel was surprised to see no trace of fear. First, she didn't mind the bodies then she chuckled as she said she almost got shot and now that her life was being threatened, she was only staring at him calmly. What kind of peasant was that?

"Okay…" she sighed. "But I warned you."

With a satisfied grin, Bel pushed her in the mansion, still holding her arm and keeping a knife near her face.

"That's a really cool knife" she said as they walked. "And I'm sure you can fight well with them. Would you teach me?"

Bel couldn't believe it. That polite peasant was now complimenting his beloved knives and had guessed the Prince was skilled enough to teach others!

"What's your name, peasant?"

"Gioia…" she looked at him, curious.

"Ushishishi. I like you. Maybe I'll let you be my servant!"

"If you survive after meeting Boss… It's here."

"You've done well!" Bel let go of her arm and his grin became even wider.

"I really think you should wait… They won't be happy if you enter now."

Ignoring her, Bel opened the door and entered the room with his knives ready.

* * *

><p>Gioia waited outside of the room, unwilling to witness the massacre that would surely occur. Last week, she almost got shot because she entered that room when they were in a meeting. Apparently, they were planning something really important and they wouldn't allow anyone else in the room. Even the servants weren't allowed. When the prince entered the room, everyone went silent. Then she heard her brother roaring, quickly followed by other sounds such as gunshots and tables crashing against the walls. The room became silent again and Gioia took a look.<p>

Papers were flying everywhere, tables and chairs were upside down and one of the chairs had even caught fire. They were all surrounding Xanxus who was holding the young prince by his throat. The boy had lost all confidence in front of the furious Varia boss and was now gasping for air, helpless.

"You have some nerve to turn up here and point a knife at me" scowled Xanxus. "What the fuck do you want, brat?"

Seeing the boy tried to say something, Xanxus let go of him and watched him crash to the floor.

"I-I want to j-join the Varia" coughed the prince, getting back on his feet with difficulty.

Gioia could now see that all trace of arrogance had left the boy's eyes. He was now looking up at Xanxus with respect and even fear. Xanxus observed the boy a moment before smirking.

"Mammon, you take care of him. He could be interesting."

"W-What? Why me?"

"Because" Xanxus turned to his officer with a menacing look "you seem to do well with mini-scum. So you can take care of that brat too."

Mammon cursed under his breath before motioning to the new Varia member to follow him. Gioia watched them pass, noting that the prince was still shaken; Mammon was too pissed to even notice her presence. Judging that the situation was safe, Gioia cheerfully entered the room and went straight to her brother.

"Did you see it?" she asked with an eager smile.

"See what?" growled Squalo, annoyed.

"He had a crown! He's a prince!"

"He's not a fucking prince… Wearing a tiara doesn't mean you're a prince…" sighed Squalo.

"He told me he was a prince!"

"Shut up…" growled Xanxus.

"And you believe everything people tell you? How stupid are you?" shouted Squalo.

"I _know_ he's a prince!"

"HOW?"

"You're just jealous because I found my pr-"

Gioia and Squalo froze as they heard a clicking noise. Without hesitation, they bolted from the room before Xanxus could shoot them.

**Note:**

_Took me more time than expected to update, I'm sorry. I'm slowly falling into depression because of this wonderful institution called university... Ugh. Anyway, I hope you liked that chapter. Now, nobody will ask me where is Bel! And I just couldn't resist writing a little Squalo/Gioia moment :3 I felt like they needed something like that._

**_Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favorites! And welcome aboard to the new reviewers! I hope you'll enjoy your stay! :D_**

_**Tsukiba**: Heyyy! Ca va? ^^ Ta review m'a fait super plaisir, tu peux pas imaginer ;A; J'essaye vraiment de faire attention à pas faire d'OCC mais je trouve Xanxus un peu trop gentil qd même... Mais bon, j'ai arrangé les choses lorsqu'il lui fout une claque mwahahahaha hm. Bref, j'espère que ce chapitre te plaira!_

_**long live marshmallows**: When I'm finished with this one, I'll write the sequel... maybe... I don't know. But yeah, it would begin around the Varia arc ^^ Thanks for reviewing!_

_**sourapple2000**: HEYYY NEW REVIEWER! :D Your review really made me happy! I hope you liked that chapter and that my Bel is not disappointing! And be careful not to ignore your brother again :p_

_**Devil-Queen-Wolf-666**: Yes, she could definitely fit in the rain unit if she joined the Varia. It actually makes me happy to see you wouldn't mind her being paired with Xanxus! Thank you! *always afraid people will hate on her OC* But I already have an idea about who I'll pair her with and it's not Xanxus. But we never know, I can change my mind later x)_

_I wish you all a nice day or a good night and see you next chapter!_


	14. Chapter 14 Today

**Today**

Squalo silently cursed. He told them he would be here in thirty minutes and yet, here he was, waiting in the hall. Those two were so annoying when they were together. A young man dressed as a cook passed in the hall and without thinking, Squalo called him.

"Voiii!"

"Yes?" The young man stopped, surprised.

"Hm…" Squalo suddenly felt stupid. "You're a cook, right?"

The man nodded.

"Are you… Cas?"

"Yes, it's me" He observed Squalo for a moment. "You must be Gioia's brother?"

"Y-yeah…"

"You have the same eyes" he commented with a smile.

"Maybe… Whatever" growled Squalo. "I just wanted to… I mean, she told me she was learning cooking with you… she seems happy about it so… yeah… thank you."

Cas chuckled as Squalo looked away, slightly blushing.

"She's a really good apprentice who's always eager to learn new things. You really are lucky to have such a devoted sister. You seem to be all she can think about. Well, aside from dinosaurs, princes and Dino…"

Squalo scowled at Dino's name but made no comment. With a slight bow, the cook left Squalo as Dino and Gioia finally showed up. The little girl was holding onto Dino's sleeve, happily laughing. Her eyes sparkled as she saw her brother and she ran up to him, proudly showing her t-shirt.

"Look, Nii-chan! Dino gave it to me!"

"Voiii! Why are you so slow?" growled Squalo, ignoring the brand new dinosaur t-shirt. "Hurry up! Get in the car!"

Gioia's smile faded away, disappointment filling her eyes. She quickly kissed Dino goodbye before leaving the hall in silence.

"Why did she sleep here last night?" Squalo shot an angry look at Dino.

"I invited her" answered the teenager with a sheepish smile. "I thought it'd be better if she wasn't alone this morning, you know…"

"Huh... whatever. Next time, send me a message or something. I had to ask my father where she was…"

"Sorry…" Dino looked at him hesitantly. "About your father… Have you talked to Gioia about him?"

"What do you mean?" Squalo frowned.

"It's just that… You know, she never says anything when she has problems. And I just want to be sure she's okay." Dino looked down at his feet, clenching his fists. "Once, she told me he threw a vase at her! She said it out of the blue as if it was normal! But then, when I wanted to know more, she just wouldn't answer! Maybe if you're the one asking, she'll answer?" Dino shyly looked up at Squalo, scared to see his reaction.

Squalo observed him for a moment. He couldn't help feeling something like jealousy whenever he saw how close Gioa and Dino were. But deep down, he was thankful that his sister had someone like Dino when her own brother didn't have time to take care of her.

"You worry too much about her" Squalo finally said in an unusually soft voice. "That kid is strong!" he assured Dino with a confident smile. "I better get going now or she'll get mad. See you, clumsy idiot!"

With a smirk, Squalo left a pouting Dino and got in the car, sitting next to a sulking Gioia.

"Voii! Stop making that face! Your t-shirt is cool…"

The girl's face brightened a little.

"Gioia?" Squalo carefully asked. "How is it at home with Father?"

"What?" She sounded surprised but avoided Squalo's eyes.

"Did that bastard do something to you?" Squalo felt it was best not to beat about the bush with her. She was too smart for that.

"It's okay" she said, in a casual voice. "He usually doesn't notice me because I'm really quiet. And when I get caught, I try to escape as fast as I can. I'm really fast, you know?" She finally looked at him with a proud smile.

"I know" sighed Squalo. "I can see it when you're running away from that genius brat… Just tell me if things turn bad, okay? Or tell Dino, at least... Okay, brat?"

They stared at each other for a few seconds before she nodded with a faint smile. Squalo patted her head, satisfied. He hated having serious talk like this but he felt he did a good job this time. He gave his best.

* * *

><p>Bel grinned as he saw the siblings getting out of the car. His toy was finally here! Ignoring Mammon who was still talking about Bel's role in the mission, he quickly left the room and hurried downstairs. His grin getting wider, he took a knife out of his sleeve and threw it as he was running down the stairs. The sharp weapon flew through the room and brushed the girl's cheek, leaving a thin cut.<p>

"Ushishishi! Got you, peasant!"

"VOIIIIIIIIIIII! BEL, YOU FUCKING MANIAC! STOP THROWING KNIVES AT HER!"

Too excited about his victory, Bel didn't see the angry shark's fist coming and was sent crashing against the wall. He painfully got back on his feet and carefully approached Squalo who was looking at Gioia's cheek.

"Bel!" Gioia pleaded. "You promised me you'd be nice today!"

"The Prince never makes promises, ignorant peasant!" smirked Bel. "Why would I be nice today?"

"I _told_ you last week but you forgot…" Gioia pouted.

"Peasant! Let's go have some fun! I bet I can beat you once again!"

Before Gioia could answer, Bel took her arm and dragged her upstairs under Squalo's threatening look. Bel had been in the Varia for a month now and he had to admit it was much more fun when the peasant was around. Most of the time, they would challenge each other, finding the best ways to annoy the Varia officers without getting killed. Bel had to admit she had an interesting talent of sneaking up on people and finding out embarrassing details she could use against them afterwards. He was also making some time in his busy princely schedule to teach her how to fight with knives. And that's what he wanted to do right now. They arrived in the practice room they were usually using and he gave her a couple of knives.

"Not today, Bel…" she begged him.

"Silence, peasant!" he hissed before throwing a knife that she swiftly dodged.

"I need to take care of something in the kitchen first!"

"Ushishishi, are you too afraid because you always lose, peasant?"

"I'm sorry I'm not good with knives!" she snapped before dropping the knives and leaving the room with angry steps.

Bel chuckled. She was so sensitive when it came to her weaknesses. They had spent hours training but she hadn't improved a bit. She felt highly frustrated but for Bel, it was another way to tease her effectively. Being in a good and merciful mood, he decided to follow her and see what she was up to. She picked up a bag in the hall and they headed for the kitchen. The only times he set foot in a place as unroyal as a kitchen were when he was watching Gioia cook. She had proved herself to be quite good and he liked being the first one to taste the things she made. Under his intense gaze, she carefully took out a cake from the bag and placed it on the table.

"I just need to add Smarties on it and it'll be ready!" she explained.

Bel silently watched as she decorated the cake. When she was done, he took a spoon to taste it but Gioia pushed his hand away.

"That's not for now!" she scolded him. "I'm sorry but you must wait today. I want to eat it with everybody!"

"Ushishishi, what are you talking about, peasant? A prince eats whenever he wants!"

"No!"

She tried to protect the cake but Bel was older and stronger than her and he pushed her out of the way. With a satisfied grin, he dug his spoon into the cake and happily enjoyed the chocolate cake. He turned to congratulate the peasant but he froze as he saw her face. For a month, he had teased her, thrown knives at her every time she arrived at the headquarters, enjoyed running after her, threatening to put spiders in her hair. She had never once done much more than pout. This was the first time seeing such emotions in her eyes. Pain, anger, disappointment. A whirlpool of feelings filled her grey eyes as she looked at him. Before he could say anything, she ran away, leaving a clueless prince behind her.

For a few minutes, Bel stayed in the kitchen, not knowing what to do. The more he thought about it, the more he felt annoyed. Why was that peasant so upset? With a frown, he left the kitchen and decided to go to the captain. He entered Squalo's office and found him buried in complicated and useless documents as always.

"Learn to knock, brat…" grunted Squalo, glancing at the intruder.

"A prince doesn't need to knock" Bel chided.

"What do you want?" sighed Squalo.

"I came to inform you that your sister was really _rude_. You have to correct her!"

"What happened?" Squalo looked up at him, annoyed.

"I just tasted the cake she made and she got really upset for no reason. A prince has every right to taste a cake before the others!"

"She got upset? But you always do that…"

"I know! But she kept talking about _today._ She said she wanted to eat it with every one today. That she didn't want to fight with knives today. That-"

"Wait" Squalo dropped his documents. "What's the date today?"

"May 5…?"

"FUCK!"

Squalo quickly left the room without another word, leaving an even more clueless prince behind him.

"All these rude peasants…"

* * *

><p>"Voiii! Find her and bring her here!"<p>

"Mu, why me?" protested Mammon.

"Because you get along with kids!" snapped Squalo.

The Arcobaleno mumbled something about making an exception because it was Gioia and left the room. Squalo looked at the table with apprehension. It wasn't much but he hoped she'd be happy. On his right, Bel was playing with his knives, looking at the door eagerly. On his left, Lussuria was arranging the plates and gave Squalo a reassuring smile. Even Xanxus was here, sitting on his chair with a bored expression, and Levi had made an effort not to look too unhappy. After five long minutes, the door finally opened and Mammon pushed Gioia inside. Surprised, she looked at all the people gathered in the dining room.

"What is it?" she asked, unsure.

"Hm… Here!" Squalo showed her the plates. "That greedy Arcobaleno agreed to go to the supermarket. So Lussuria could make some cookies! And… The knives maniac was patient enough to wait before tasting them. The ass-kissing moron made some freshly pressed orange juice… And uh even the shitty boss came downstairs… I think he was only curious and hungry though… but yeah I guess kids like things like that so…"

"What your stupid brother is trying to say, mini-scum" growled Xanxus, annoyed "is _happy birthday_."

"VOIII! Don't interrupt me! I was about to say it!" Squalo turned to Gioia with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I forgot, Gio… Happy birthday!"

The little girl who had remained silent was staring at them, shocked. Then slowly, she smiled at them before running and throwing herself at her brother.

"Thank you, Nii-chan!" she mumbled, as Squalo patted her head with affection.

"Oh stop it, you're _breaking my heart_, idiots…" sighed Xanxus, before taking a cookie.

"VOIIII! She was supposed to be the first one to eat a cookie! DAMN IT, XANXUS!"

**Note:**

_Sorry for the late update... I'm back with more cute stuff OTL If you don't know it, you can google Nestlé's Smarties. I think they're known in Europe but I'm not sure about the rest of the world ^^" And the last line of Xanxus, I don't know if anyone is a Supernatural fan? Well, if you are, it should ring a bell x)_

**_Thank you so much for the reviews, the alerts and the favorites! Thank you for taking time to read that story!_**

_I wish you all a nice day :) See you next chapter!_


	15. Chapter 15 I like it here

**I like it here**

Squalo switched off his phone, annoyed. It had been ringing for ten minutes already and apparently, whoever was calling didn't get the hint that he was busy. He had no time to spare for anybody. Their mission was only a few days ahead and he wanted the plan to be perfect. Xanxus would not forgive failure.

* * *

><p>Gioia helplessly watched as her teacher dialed her home number. She had begged the teacher not to but Squalo wasn't answering his phone and Dino was away for a school trip. Gioia felt tears threatening to fall.<p>

"Hello, Mr Superbi? This is Mrs Costa, Gioia's teacher. Yes. I'm calling you because of your daughter's unacceptable behaviour. Yes. She verbally threatened some of her classmates and ended up hitting one of them. Yes, she did. Of course, you are aware we cannot allow such behaviour in our school so your daughter will be suspended for the day. Could you please pick her up? Yes. Very well. We'll wait for you, sir."

After hanging up the phone, Mrs Costa turned to Gioia with a severe look.

"Your father is on his way to pick you up. I really hope you'll take time this weekend to think about what you did, Gioia. You are lucky I arrived before you could seriously hurt your classmate. Violence is _never_ the solution!" she snapped. "Beating up someone won't make you superior! It only shows how weak you actually are!"

Gioia didn't answer. Trying to explain she was bullied every day by the same kids wouldn't help. Those kids were the popular ones and the teacher just couldn't imagine her favorite students being bullies. Gioia didn't care about what her teacher was thinking anyway.

She was now trying to think fast to find a way to escape her father. Although she forced herself to take deep and regular breathes like her brother taught her, she felt panic gaining on her and taking control of her mind. Her distress was such that she didn't even see her father arriving, having a talk with the teacher and finally taking her home. When she finally came to her senses, the car had stopped in front of her house. Her father came out of the car and before she could escape, he had grabbed her arm and was dragging her out to the huge garden behind their house. Paralyzed by fear, Gioia didn't even struggle and watched silently as they approached the fountain where a servant was waiting, looking grim. Without a word, Pastiello Superbi threw her daughter in the shallow water and watched her for a few seconds as she was getting on her feet, her clothes completely soaked. The little girl shrank under her father's look of contempt and closed her eyes as she saw the fist coming. With great difficulty, she once again got back on her feet and looked down, ignoring what her brother said about how it was something only weak people did.

"Getting a call from school for outrageous behaviour…" he snarled. "I already have one useless son who can't even fulfill his role as heir of the family! I certainly don't need _you_! You'll spend your night here to think about your attitude, you ungrateful child!"

He motioned to the servant to get into the fountain and the young man took out handcuffs from his pocket and cuffed the girl to the statue standing in the middle of the water. With a sad look, he gently squeezed the girl's hand before getting out of the fountain and following his master. When she was finally all alone, Gioia allowed herself to let tears roll down her cheeks.

* * *

><p>Squalo growled as he heard someone knocking at his door and didn't bother to look up when the door opened.<p>

"Nii-chan, can I stay with you a little?"

Squalo finally put down his files and took a look at his sister who was still standing at the door. He had quickly picked her up that morning and had left her by herself when they had arrived at the Varia's headquarters. He just had _no time_ to deal with her.

"If you promise not to make any noise" he sighed, before burying himself in his papers once again.

Their plan was perfect. Xanxus was a good leader and had efficient officers that would carry out the mission with professionalism. Even if things didn't go according to plan, they were all skilled enough to improvise and succeed in their mission. Squalo hadn't the faint doubt about his men's potential. He wouldn't let Xanxus down. _Never_.

Judging he could allow himself a little break, Squalo lay back on his chair and looked around the room, enjoying the silence. Squalo frowned as he suddenly remembered his sister was here. And she had been completely silent, which was really unnatural when you thought about it. He got up and observed Gioia who was curled up on the couch. Carefully looking at his sister for the first time that day, he realized how tired she looked. He also noticed her cheeks were slightly pink and that she seemed to have difficulty breathing. Apprehensively, he put one hand on her forehead and quietly swore. She was boiling. With a worried look, he covered his sister with his Varia jacket and left the room.

* * *

><p>Mammon knocked and entered the captain's room.<p>

"Squalo, I need you to take a look at th-" Mammon stopped as he saw the captain wasn't in his study. "He's paid to be the captain but we can't even find him here…" sighed the Arcobaleno.

Mammon was about to leave when he noticed something was on the couch. He lazily floated over and stared at the sleeping girl. Judging by her looks, she was surely sick. Now that would explain why she hasn't bugged him today. Mammon sighed. Did she even know how expensive medicine was? And why would she fall sick when it was hot and sunny outside? Mammon was already calculating the loss of money this situation represented when someone else entered the room.

* * *

><p>Bel was in a terrible mood. Lately, everyone at the Varia headquarters was being too serious and could only talk about <em>the<em> mission. Bel already knew what he had to do and he was tired of the baby and the stupid captain constantly reminding him of his part. Did they think the Prince was stupid? And there was more! It was Saturday but Bel hadn't caught a glimpse of his favourite toy! The girl was nowhere to be seen although he was sure she was here! That was the baby's fault. Bel usually waited for the peasant in the hall but that morning, Mammon had insisted on showing him the layout of the Vongola mansion _once again_. Bel had then decided to take a royal nap but his mood had only worsened. He finally arrived at the stupid captain's room and entered without knocking. Princes didn't knock.

"Peasant! Do you know where your sister is?"

Bel frowned when he saw Mammon sitting on something on the couch, busy with a calculator. As he came closer, Bel realized that the baby was actually sitting on Gioia's legs. An evil grin spread on the boy's face.

"There she is!" he whispered, a knife appearing in his hand. He threw the weapon at her but pouted when Mammon caught it.

"Can't you see she's sick?" The Arcobaleno threw back the knife at Bel who swiftly caught it.

"So what? The peasant may be sick but the Prince is not and he wants to play!"

"She's _really_ sick" insisted Mammon. "From what I gathered, the medicine would cost us abou-"

"Really sick?" Bel approached, curious. "Does it _hurt_ when you're sick?"

"OF COURSE IT HURTS TO BE SICK!"

Mammon and Bel watched Lussuria rushing to the couch, tears already forming in his eyes.

"Oh no! My baby is sick! What happened? Why?" Lussuria put one hand on Gioia's forehead and burst into tears. "My poor baby! What are you waiting for? We need to get her medicine and cookies!"

"You need cookies when you're sick?" asked Bel, baffled.

"No! No cookies, Lussuria! We don't need to waste money on cookies!" protested Mammon.

"What the fuck is going on here?"

The three Varia officers turned to discover Xanxus who was holding a plate of steaks, closely followed by Levi.

"My baby is sick, Boss!" sobbed Lussuria.

"Huh? Mini-scum?" Xanxus entered the room, curious.

* * *

><p>Squalo was running through the mansion, holding the medicine he had managed to find. When he arrived in front of his study, the door was wide open and he could hear several voices.<p>

"My baby seems so sick! Why is she sick though? The weather is so good! Poor baby!"

"Maybe she's going to die! Ushishishishi"

"Mu, don't say that. A funeral costs so much money, you have no idea!"

"All of you scums, shut the fuck up. I know why she's sick. She needs to eat some steak. That kid doesn't eat enough meat!"

"You're right, Boss! Although I think that insolent brat deserves what she got…"

Squalo finally entered the room and observed the scene with disbelief. Mammon was sitting on Gioia's legs, trying to prevent Bel's knives from getting too close to the girl. Lussuria was holding one of Gioia's hands as though she was on her death bed. Levi was sulking in a corner of the room and Xanxus was shaking Gioia a bit to wake her up so that he could give her one of his steaks.

"VOIIIIIII!" Squalo finally exploded. "What the fuck are you doing to her! She only needs medicine and rest! GET OUT!"

One by one, they left the room, seeing the shark was seriously worried about his sister. Squalo finally approached Gioia, fearing she had gotten worse because of all the commotion. However, he was surprised to see she had a faint smile on her lips and looked more peaceful than she had been when he had left the room earlier.

"Nii-chan…" she whispered.

"What is it, brat?" Squalo bent over her.

"I really like being here…"

Squalo said nothing. He wished he could say the same. However, their fate depended on how the mission would go in a few days.

**Note:**

_Sorry for the really late update. I had totally lost confidence in writing and real life was a mess. Anyway, I'm back with a new chapter and I hope you enjoyed it! (well, not the first part...)_

**_Thank you so much for all the reviews, the follows and the favourites! Seeing all those really encouraged me! And I'd like to thank you my beta PsychedelicFlame too because she's awesome :)_**

_Tsukiba: Elle a que 6 ans en fait. Mais chuuut, faut faire abstraction et la considérer comme un ptit génie ='D_

_Artemis Kuromoru: Oh you totally understood her relationship with Xanxus, thank you! ;A; And your science rant was very interesting! Just tell me when this dimensional device is ready, okay? I'd totally use it!_

_Once again, thank you for reading! Have a nice day and see you next time :)_


	16. Chapter 16 That was not the plan

**When things don't go according to plan**

Xanxus entered his captain's office without knocking and was surprised to discover several people sleeping in there. Squalo was slumped on his desk, using a mountain of papers as an improvised pillow. Gioia was still lying on the couch, curled up under Squalo's Varia jacket. Xanxus noticed the girl seemed a little better than the previous day but still wore a slight frown on her face, probably due to the other brat sleeping on the couch. Bel had somehow managed to slip past Squalo's guard and was half-lying on Gioia, mumbling about peasants in his agitated sleep. Xanxus groaned. He hadn't been able to sleep very well lately because of the upcoming mission and he was definitely not happy to see other people sleeping when he couldn't.

"Wake up, you fucking trash!" he roared.

Squalo woke up with a start, immediately alert, while Bel mechanically drew out his knives and Gioia looked around her, confused.

"VOIIIIII! What the fuck, Xanxus? What do you want?!"

"I'm hungry, trash. Everybody's coming down for breakfast. Now."

"Can't you eat your fucking breakfast by yourself?!" roared Squalo.

"I said: _now_" Xanxus glared at his captain before turning away and leaving his first victims of the day.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Squalo growled. "Okay, Gioia, get ready, we're… WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE, BEL?!" Squalo was absolutely sure he had locked his office to prevent Bel from getting near Gioia and yet, the little genius had managed to sneak in.

"I wanted to see my peasant" pouted Bel. "Make sure she didn't die during the night. What will I do if I lose my toy?"

"She's _not_ a toy, stupid brat!"

"Ushishishi, of course she is!" Bel smirked.

"What the hell is wrong with every one of you?! Gioia, say something!" Squalo paused, confused. "Where is she?"

* * *

><p>Xanxus headed to the kitchen to make sure they were preparing what he wanted to eat. After a few corridors, he noticed a faint presence behind him and half-smiled.<p>

"You're getting better at hiding, brat."

"Not good enough to trick you…" Gioia pouted as she hurried to walk at Xanxus' side.

"You just _can't_ trick me."

"Someday, I will!" the little girl stated with a strong determination that made Xanxus smile for the second time.

"Are you still sick, mini-scum?"

"I'm feeling better!" she assured with a smile.

"You should eat more meat, brat" Xanxus groaned. "Now, wait for me here."

They had arrived at the kitchen and Gioia did as she was told. A moment later, the door flung open and a cook crashed on the floor.

"You piece of trash!" Xanxus snarled as he came out of the kitchen, holding one of his guns. "I don't fucking care if you already made the usual meat! I said I wanted to eat some fucking waffles today!"

Before the unfortunate cook could react, Xanxus shot him twice, blood splattering on the walls. The Varia boss suddenly remembered Gioia was here but the little girl seemed unaffected. In fact, she had even backed away to avoid getting dirty. Despite her very young age, she had been quite used to corpses ever since her brother had decided to follow Xanxus. Plus the Varia boss had been very edgy lately so corpses had become common place and didn't surprise her anymore.

"I can make waffles for you if you want" she proposed, carefully avoiding the body to come up to Xanxus.

"Then, make some" he growled, grabbing the girl's wrist and drawing her closer. "I'm really hungry so you better make them quickly."

Gioia winced and Xanxus noticed the painful look on her face. He frowned, confused. He wasn't holding her wrist that hard and she was a tough one so he rolled up the sleeve to take a look. Hidden under the clothes he discovered a clear bruise that circled her wrist like a bracelet.

"What's this?"

"Nothing!" the little girl snapped, trying to get away from his grip.

Xanxus looked down at her for a moment then let go. He had seen enough in his life to know that this bruise had been caused by ropes or handcuffs. However, if she didn't want to tell him, that was fine. It was none of his business and he didn't give a fuck anyway. Lately, anything that could distract him from the upcoming mission was welcomed so he had just been curious about why a harmless 6 year old girl would have been tied up.

"Fine, brat. Now, go make me some waffles before I shoot you like that trash."

* * *

><p>Xanxus prepared himself to take out his gun when the door opened. Who was stupid enough to bother him during his nap? He opened one angry eye and sighed when he recognized the intruder.<p>

"Weren't you supposed to leave, brat?"

Gioia didn't answer, just staring at him.

"What the fuck, brat?" groaned Xanxus, starting to get annoyed.

"…"

"Are you picking a fight, trash?!"

He finally got up and approached the girl, ready to strike. That's when Gioia finally decided to react and flung her arms around Xanxus' leg in a tight hug. The Varia boss stopped dead.

"Can you promise me something, Boss?"

The ridiculous question brought back Xanxus to his senses.

"Why the _fuck_" he said as he tried to take off the girl "would I do that, brat? And just let go of…"

Xanxus froze. Gioia was looking up at him and he suddenly felt overwhelmed by the emotions filling her eyes. She usually would look at him with respect and even _affection_ sometimes. However at this moment, although her face reflected a deep pain, begging him to help, her big grey eyes seemed to _blame_ him, making him feel uncomfortable.

"What do you want?" he capitulated, wishing she would soon let go of him.

"Promise you will all come back."

"Huh? Are you joking?" he smirked. "We're the Varia, mini-scum! Do you seriously believe there's a fucking chance we'll fail?!"

"Promise!" she insisted.

"_Alright_!" he growled. "We'll come back."

Xanxus had easily guessed that the girl was mainly worried about her brother, although he knew she somehow cared about all of them, even Levi. He wanted to scream at her that Squalo was responsible for his own actions and that he could take care of himself. Hell, that trash of a captain would _die_ from embarrassment if his boss was looking after him. But Xanxus had just realized that Gioia was blaming him for putting her brother in danger and taking him away from her. And this was the first time that she was showing her true feelings, the first time that he fully realized how important her brother was to her.

"I promise we'll come back, brat" he repeated, defeated.

Gioia's face softened with a smile, the look fading away.

"Thank you, boss" she murmured.

"Now let go" he urged.

"No!" she grinned, locking her arms around him even tighter.

"What. The. Fuck. Mini. Scum" Xanxus growled as he tried to remove the parasite from him. But she was clinging on him with more force he had imagined so he considered taking his gun and made a few steps toward his desk, dragging her along and cursing her.

"VOIIIIIII!" Squalo burst into the office, furious. "Here you are! I've been looking for you for ages! … What the hell are you two doing?"

"Trash!" snapped Xanxus. "Remove your sister from me before I shoot her!"

"VOIIII! Gioia, let go _right now_!"

Squalo rushed toward her and grabbed her wrist. Gioia winced and let go of Xanxus who could finally breathe normally.

"Now go to the car!" Squalo barked. "We're leaving!"

Gioia said nothing and left the room with a last glance at Xanxus who was frowning at his captain.

"What is it now?" growled Squalo who had immediately noticed Xanxus' look.

"Something's wrong with your sister, trash."

"Voiii! Nothing's wrong with her!" snapped the shark. "She sometimes likes to hug people because she's more human than all of us put together, that's all!"

"I wasn't talking about that, idiot! I think she's got problems. Her wrists."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Squalo responded, apparently growing impatient. "Something's wrong with _you_!"

"Whatever, trash" sighed Xanxus who was starting to get a headache. "Now, get out. I need my nap."

* * *

><p>"Stop making that face" Squalo sighed. "They said he wasn't here so there's nothing you can do about that."<p>

"You don't understand!" grumbled Gioia. "I haven't seen Dino lately because he was busy with someone. I just wanted to stay a few days with him… while you were gone for the mission."

"Someone?" Squalo raised an eyebrow. "That idiot got himself a girlfriend?"

"Not really…"

"Why do you want to see that trash anyway?"

"I feel lonely at home…"

"Just ask old Tanaka to play with you!" Squalo was trying hard to be interested in his sister's rant but his patience was running out quickly.

"He left weeks ago…" sighed the little girl.

"WHAT? Why?"

"He was tired again" she explained.

"Tired… again? What the hell does that mean?"

"I don't know. That's what Father told me. He was tired once again. I didn't see Tanaka before he left…"

"Tired once again… _once again_… Wait, you mean he _re_tired?"

"Yes, that's what Father said!"

Squalo stared at his sister before bursting out laughing. She pouted and punched his arm as he tried to compose himself again. Gioia's mistake wasn't that terrible but she usually was so smart for her age that catching her off guard was just too enjoyable for him.

"Haha, Gio, I haven't laughed like this in months!" He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Anyway, you just have to endure it for a few days and then I'll come home as soon as I'm finished with this mission!"

"Really?" she looked up at him, her eyes full of expectations.

"Yeah! And be prepared! We're going to do some exercises! Maybe I'll teach you the bases for sword fighting… if you behave" he added, with a smirk.

The car stopped and Gioia got out, beaming.

* * *

><p>Squalo forced a laugh and winced because of the effort. Everything had just gone so wrong.<p>

He had been aware that although the attack had been thoroughly planned, they would end up improvising. Without surprise, some had disobeyed like Bel who had left a trail of fresh blood behind him. Lussuria had fulfilled his role, although Squalo had expected him to fight and not scare away his opponents with his shady taste for corpses. Everything was going more or less well until they reached the core of the Vongola mansion. And Squalo had immediately noticed something was wrong. The Vongola were prepared; they knew the Varia was coming.

And that was not part of the plan.

Squalo closed his eyes and allowed himself five seconds to let the guilt and the panic take control over him. The Vongola had been warned. Xanxus had been stopped. The whole mission had been a total disaster. Squalo had _failed_. He had failed his boss, failed as a captain.

Squalo's eyes snapped open. Maybe the Vongola had stopped Xanxus and his plan but Squalo was still the Varia's captain and his men still needed him. With a newly found energy, he got back on his feet and ran through the mansion, trying to contact his officers. Lussuria was the first one to answer and listened carefully to Squalo's orders without interrupting.

"Got it, Captain. I'll take my leave now" said Lussuria before ending the call.

Levi was more trouble. It took Squalo five long minutes to explain to the desperate man that he had to abandon his boss for now if they wanted to limit the damages. Squalo couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for the ass-kissing moron as he heard his voice breaking when he finally agreed to leave the Vongola headquarters. Next one was Bel but Squalo remembered that the brat had said a radio wasn't royal enough for him so he had probably thrown the device away. Squalo swore as he tried to contact the last officer.

"Mu, what do you want, Squalo?"

"Stop whatever you're doing!" roared Squalo to cover the screaming he heard coming from the radio. Mammon was probably busy toying with some unfortunate people's minds. "You need to get out!"

"What are you talking about? Where's Boss?"

"He… He's been defeated. Now, listen" Squalo added, without giving time to Mammon to react. "You need to find Bel and get him out of here, okay?

"What? He can take care of himself!" complained the Arcobaleno.

"He's still an 8 year old kid! Just find him and get him out of here! That's an order!"

"Mu, why do I always have to take care of brats?!" growled Mammon as Squalo ended the conversation.

Squalo let out a slight sigh of relief. The Varia officers should all be able to get out of this shitty situation. Now he had to send a message to all the Varia members present in the Vongola headquarters and tell them to retreat. He had to save as many of his men as he could. That was his duty as the Varia's captain.

* * *

><p>Gioia left the cupboard where she was hiding, a relieved smile on her face. Somewhere in her heart, she knew her brother was back. She ran downstairs but froze when she arrived in the hall. As always, she had been right and Squalo was indeed back home. However, he was now facing their father and they both appeared ready to fight.<p>

"Get the hell out of here!" hissed Pastiello Superbi, a look of contempt distorting his face.

"Are you kicking me out of my house, you bastard?" shouted Squalo, waving his sword at his father.

"This is _my_ house, boy!" roared Pastiello. "And I know all about that stupid mission of yours! Attacking the _Vongola_? Are you fucking serious? How did you end up being such a _failure_?! Huh?"

Gioia gasped as she saw Squalo's expression. She had never seen her brother that hurt. For one second, she feared he would lose control and attack their father.

"Fuck you" Squalo finally whispered before turning around and heading to the door.

"Nii-chan, wait!"

Gioia desperately ran to her brother and grabbed his arm, making tremendous efforts not to cry. She had a bad feeling about this; something was wrong. Fear pervaded her whole body, cold sweat running down her back.

"FUCK OFF!" roared Squalo, roughly pushing her arm away.

Speechless, Gioia watched her brother leave the house. As the door closed behind Squalo, she felt a sharp pain tearing apart her heart. Cold tears poured down her face as she realized she has been abandoned.

"There you are, you ungrateful child…"

The little girl came back to her senses with a start and followed her primal instinct: run for her life.

* * *

><p>Squalo glared at his phone. It had been three days since the Vongola fiasco and he had ended up staying with Lussuria, cutting himself from the world. He had finally decided to switch on his phone and it was already ringing. Squalo groaned when he saw the caller ID and finally took the call with a sigh.<p>

"Voiii, what do you want, idiot?"

"Have you heard about Gioia?"

Squalo frowned. Usually, Dino would greet him and talk about irrelevant stuff that would piss off Squalo but this time, his question was too abrupt and Squalo could clearly hear panic in his friend's voice.

"No, I just turned on my phone. What happened?!"

"Go home _immediately_! Maybe you can be there before me! And check your damn voicemails!"

Without adding anything else, Dino hung up, leaving a dumbfounded Squalo. For a few seconds, Squalo didn't know what to do. Dino's panic was slowly affecting him and he didn't dare check his voicemails. He was too scared to listen to them. With great efforts, he finally dialed the voicemail number and listened with apprehension.

"You have twelve new messages."

"_Nii-chan_?"

Squalo froze, recognizing his little sister's voice.

"_Why don't you answer? Nii-chan, please answer… I stole a phone to call you… I'm hiding in the cellar and it's cold and I'm hungry… and I think he'll find me soon._"

Gioia's voice broke at this point, making Squalo's blood run cold.

"_Because he's really angry after what happened with you… Can you please come back, Nii-chan? … Please…_"

Before the message was even over, Squalo had already left, praying that his sister was okay.

* * *

><p>It took Squalo thirty minutes to get there and with each minute passing, he felt more scared and angry. When he finally arrived in front of his former home, Squalo hesitated. What was waiting for him in there? Was his sister okay? Was it too late? Squalo suddenly realized how he had completely abandoned his sister in the past few months. Ever since that day he had met Xanxus, he had gone further and further away from her. And now, he was paying the price.<p>

Squalo froze as he heard a high-pitched scream coming from the garden. As he ran to where the scream was coming, Squalo could only think about one thing: was Gioia's voice that high-pitched? He finally arrived at the back garden and recognized his father, bending over the fountain.

"What the fuck…?" whispered Squalo.

As he drew nearer, he felt like his head was going to explode. Pastiello Superbi was not alone. Squalo saw a crying Gioia getting back on her feet with difficulty, then trying to get away from her tormenter before her father grabbed her hair and forced her head under water.

Squalo gasped. He should have known it. There were signs. Dino had warned him numerous times. Gioia never talked about their father, changing subjects or avoiding questions. And then, there was this stupid cold she had caught although it was warm and sunny outside. Even _Xanxus _had tried to warn him. And what had he done? _Nothing_.

Blinded by rage, Squalo approached his father, his sword ready to spill blood.

"You bastard…" snarled Squalo, out of his mind.

Pastiello started and slowly turned. When he saw his son's expression, the old man turned deathly pale. He immediately let go of the little girl and took a few steps away, trying to compose himself and look confident.

"Now, calm down, Squalo" he said slowly.

"_Calm down_?" Squalo smirked. "This is the last straw, you fucking bastard. You just made a terrible mistake. You _dare_ touch my little sister."

Pastiello chose that moment to run away but before he could even make one step, his enraged son was already behind him, sticking a sword in his thigh. With inhuman force, Squalo stuck the sword in the ground and removed it from his mechanical hand. With a grim smile, he watched his father scream his lungs out, trying to remove the sword from his leg.

"Now you stay here for awhile," Squal advised. "I'll deal with you later."

Pastiello fell silent as he realized he was probably living the last few minutes of his life. With a last look of disgust at his father, Squalo turned and rushed to the fountain. Gioia was no longer screaming, half-crying, half-coughing water. Squalo winced as he saw her right leg appeared to be broken. The cruel bastard had made sure she wouldn't be able to run away from him. With extreme care, Squalo bent over the fountain and took his sister in his arms. Feeling a twinge in his heart, he suddenly remembered the first time he had carried his baby sister. Back then, he had found her so tiny and vulnerable. Now that he was holding her again, he realized that she wasn't the invincible girl he thought she was. Gioia was bawling in his arms, one hand holding her injured leg, the other one holding Squalo's shirt.

"I'm sorry, Gioia" Squalo whispered in Gioia's ear, rocking her in his arms. "Don't worry, Dino will arrive soon. He's going to take care of you. Please wait for him, Gio, _please_…" Squalo's voice broke, a single teardrop falling on his sister's face.

* * *

><p>Dino got out of the hospital room, his smile immediately fading away. Two months had passed since the accident. Dino clearly remembered when he had found a bewildered Squalo carrying his injured little sister who wouldn't stop crying. Dino's first reaction had been to be relieved to find Gioia alive. The girl had tried to call him for help but Reborn had decided to train on a mountain for a few days, forbidding Dino to bring a phone. When he had heard the desperate messages, Dino had immediately called Squalo and had feared the worst. However, he hadn't imagined that she would have ended up like this.<p>

Ever since the accident, Gioia's health had deteriorated and she now looked like a living corpse. Although the cast had been removed from her broken leg a month ago, she wouldn't do recovery exercises and was barely eating. Dino was trying to visit her regularly to talk to her and encourage her but with Reborn's harsh training, he didn't have enough time. What frustrated him the most was the fact he knew _exactly _what he should do to help Gioia. But Squalo was nowhere to be found. After they had carried Gioia to a hospital, he had just left, muttering about something he had to deal with. That day, both Squalo and his father had disappeared. Dino knew his friend was probably guilt-ridden and couldn't face his sister. But Gioia would never recover if her brother wasn't there for her.

Dino punched the wall out of anger.

"I can't do anything for her!" he sobbed.

"Oi, stupid Dino! A mafia boss shouldn't cry like an idiot! Let's go home for now!"

Dino looked down at his tutor, ready to talk back, but he knew Reborn was aware of his distress and that training would appease Dino's mind a little. With a last sigh, Dino nodded and followed the Arcobaleno, without noticing the three peculiar people at the other end of the corridor.

* * *

><p>Squalo entered the room, silently closing the door behind him. With careful steps, he approached the bed and felt his heart sink when he saw his sister. Gioia's face was a ghastly pallor and she was so thin that Squalo was afraid he would break her bones if he touched her. Her usually twinkling grey eyes were now hollow and even the colour seemed to have faded. Squalo took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to gather up some courage. He had finally managed to come; he shouldn't run away now.<p>

"Nii-chan?"

Squalo looked at his sister, surprised at how happy he felt just by hearing Gioia's voice after two months without her.

"Hey, brat" said Squalo with a faint smile. "You look terrible…"

This sounded so stupid and insensitive that Squalo just felt like dying. However, it was as if someone had switched on the light in Gioia's eyes and she suddenly looked _alive_.

"You're so late, Nii-chan" she reproached him, her face slowly brightening with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Gio…" Squalo looked down, avoiding her eyes.

"It's okay" she said in a soft voice. "Can I stay with you now?"

"Aren't you angry at me, brat?" Squalo couldn't help asking.

"Of course I am" answered Gioia, her words stabbing through Squalo's heart. "You left me in this hospital for two months. _Two months_. That's not really nice of you. So can I leave with you now?"

Squalo fought against the tears which were about to roll down his face. Did he really deserve her? Before he could find an answer, the door flung open, making both of them jump.

"Peasants! I am tired of waiting outside. And I want to go home as soon as possible. So hurry up and let's leave this foul place!"

Squalo and Gioia stared at Bel, baffled.

"Mu, I told you to wait a bit longer!" Mammon entered the room, annoyed. "I already explained to you this was a difficult situation! Why don't you listen!?"

"Silence, baby peasant!" snapped Bel before turning to Gioia and Squalo. "I said, _let's leave_!"

"Voiiiiiii! I don't give a fuck about what you say, stupid brat!" roared Squalo, taking advantage of Bel's interruption.

"I'm sorry, Bel" Gioia chuckled. "But I can't walk…"

"Really?"

A sadistic grin appeared on Bel's face as he took out some of his beloved knives. Squalo immediately grabbed the boy and threw him at the wall.

"Enough with your knives, you insane brat! And _you_!" Squalo turned to his sister with a smirk. "You better be ready because I'll personally take care of your recovery and we'll start sword fighting training! And trust me, brat, you'll regret ever asking me to train you!"

Gioia's surprised expression slowly changed to a broad smile, healing the gaping hole Squalo had felt in his heart for the last two months.

_**The End**_

**Note:**

_Yep, final chapter it is! I hope the chapter wasn't too long and that you enjoyed it :) Most of you probably don't remember but this was supposed to be a prequel to another fic! I still don't know if I'm going to continue though. **[update: The sequel is up! ^^]**_

_I'd like to say a big thank you to **PsychedelicFlame** who took time to read and correct every chapter and who helped me a lot to improve myself :)_

_And of course, **thank you to everyone one of you who took time to read this**, I'm always very happy when I see a new follower or a new review, so **THANK YOU**._

_Have a nice day! ^^_


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